Meta says it won’t chop the bottom 5% performers this year

• Meta denies plans for new performance-based layoffs amid online speculation.
• Meta previously considered annual job cuts based on performance to manage low performers.
• Meta recently cut 10% of its Reality Labs division, affecting over 1,000 employees.

Meta says it will not have a fresh round of performance-based layoffs, even as a smattering of online chatter has raised questions about whether the social media giant will quietly restart its performance-driven purge.

“These are individual cases not related to any company wide initiatives,” a Meta spokesperson told Business Insider when asked about a recent restructuring. “For example we are not doing any 5% low performers like we did last year.”

That’s a notable shift in tone from early 2025, when Business Insider reported that an internal FAQ circulating at Meta suggested performance-based job cuts could become an annual practice, with the company saying it “may use future performance cycles” to move out its lowest performers. Early last year, Meta cut 5% of its workforce, saying it was focusing on its lowest performers.

The clarification also comes as Meta continues to reshape other parts of the business. Last month, the company cut about 10% of its Reality Labs division, a move that affected over 1,000 employees.

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