Ms. Safner expressed her surprise and dissatisfaction in a LinkedIn post, implying that Meta might have singled out workers who had just taken time off.
About 3,600 workers in the US, Europe, and Asia will be affected by Meta’s latest wave of layoffs. According to the company, these layoffs are performance-based and are directed at underachievers who failed to live up to expectations. Some former workers, however, contest this, claiming they were caught off guard by the layoffs despite having a strong performance history. One example of this is MetaWorks product counsel Elana Reman Safner, who was let go after returning after a six-month maternity leave.
Ms. Safner expressed her surprise and dissatisfaction in a LinkedIn post, implying that Meta might have singled out workers who had just taken time off.
“I was caught off guard when Meta laid me off yesterday as part of their “performance-based” layoffs. Even though I was on maternity leave for six months till November, I have never received a review lower than “Meets All” in my three plus years at Meta. It is quite difficult to accept that I did not do enough, even when Meta stated that my expectations are exaggerated. A recent leave of absence and a track record of strong performance are common among those laid off today,” she said.
Ms. Safner continued to reflect on her time at Meta and thanked her staff. “I developed my agility and resilience at Meta, as well as my ability to be a fantastic XFN partner and offer business-focused, risk-calibrated counsel. My clients and coworkers kept me motivated, even when I didn’t agree with the path of the product or was disappointed by Meta in the press,” she continued.
She did, however, point out a few features of the business that she wouldn’t miss, such as the high level of stress in her position and the unpredictability of her future path. Ms. Safner also criticised Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, for his leadership style, pointing out that he frequently shuts down projects that don’t live up to his “moonshot” goals.
