A former employee of Meta has sparked widespread discussion online after sharing what she described as a “doomsday” atmosphere inside the company ahead of major layoffs.
Former Meta employee Adel Wu posted on X about the tense environment during one of the company’s earlier mass layoff rounds, with her comments going viral amid fresh speculation about another possible wave of job cuts.
“During my last year at Meta there were probably 4-5 layoffs, but this one on 5/20 is huuuge,” Wu wrote on social media, referring to reports suggesting thousands of jobs could reportedly be at risk.
Her post gained major attention after she recalled how employees reacted the night before one of Meta’s largest layoffs.
“I remember the very first big layoff the night before was almost like doomsday, people were stuffing their bags with free snacks and drinks and chargers,” she wrote.
The statement resonated widely online, with many current and former tech employees sharing similar experiences of anxiety, uncertainty and emotional stress during layoffs in large technology companies.
Several users described spending sleepless nights waiting for termination emails, while others said repeated layoffs had severely affected morale and trust inside workplaces.
Meta’s large-scale layoffs first began in 2022 when the company announced around 11,000 job cuts, marking the biggest workforce reduction in its history. Since then, multiple rounds of restructuring have taken place across the global technology industry as companies shifted focus towards artificial intelligence, automation and cost-cutting measures.
The viral discussion has once again highlighted growing concerns around job insecurity in the tech sector despite the industry’s image of high salaries, luxury campuses and workplace perks.
Many social media users observed that the fear surrounding layoffs has fundamentally changed how employees view stability in Big Tech companies.
As one user commented online, “The free snacks stopped feeling fun after the layoffs started.