“Collect Your Belongings And Leave”: Meta’s Stark Exit Mail To Fired Employees

Thousands of employees at Meta woke up Wednesday to an email many had been dreading for weeks.

“Unfortunately, your role has been eliminated as part of today’s reorganisation,” the message read. Then came a line that quickly drew attention online: “If you are already in the office, we ask that you please gather any personal items at your desk and head home.”

The email, first reported by Business Insider, was sent around 4 am as Meta began laying off nearly 8,000 employees — roughly 10 per cent of its workforce — while simultaneously moving thousands of others into artificial intelligence-focused teams.

The restructuring marks one of the company’s largest workforce shake-ups since CEO Mark Zuckerberg launched Meta’s “Year of Efficiency” drive in 2022-23, during which around 21,000 jobs were cut.

This time, the layoffs are tied directly to Meta’s aggressive AI expansion plans. The company has projected capital expenditure of between $125 billion and $145 billion this year as it races to strengthen its AI infrastructure and products.

While the email maintained a formal corporate tone, it outlined the immediate impact on affected employees. Staff were informed that their office badges had been deactivated and access to internal systems would be removed within hours. They were instead directed to Meta’s Alumni Portal for information related to severance packages, immigration support, health benefits, and career assistance.

“Your impact at Meta has been an important part of our story,” the company told departing employees.

In a separate internal memo, Zuckerberg acknowledged the emotional impact of the layoffs.

“It’s always sad to say goodbye to people who have contributed to our mission and to building this company,” he wrote, according to Business Insider. “I feel the weight of that.”

At the same time, Zuckerberg attempted to reassure remaining employees by saying he did not anticipate further company-wide layoffs this year. He also reiterated Meta’s long-term AI ambitions, describing the company as one of the few positioned to help shape the future of “personal superintelligence”.

Employees affected by the cuts were offered severance packages that include 16 weeks of base pay, along with an additional two weeks for every year worked at the company. Meta also said it would continue covering health insurance premiums for employees and their families for up to 18 months.

The company further promised payment of vested stock grants, accumulated paid leave, and three months of external job-search support through recruitment firm Lee Hecht Harrison.

For visa holders, however, the uncertainty is far greater. The email noted that immigration guidance and legal support details would be available through the Alumni Portal, an important issue for many H-1B workers employed in the US technology sector.

One part of the email stood out in particular.

Meta had earlier advised employees to work remotely on the day layoffs were announced. But for those who still came into office campuses, the company’s instructions carried a blunt finality: collect your belongings and leave.

The layoffs and internal restructuring together affect a significant portion of Meta’s workforce. As of March, the company employed around 78,000 people globally, meaning nearly one in five employees is now impacted either through layoffs or reassignment linked to the AI transition.

The sweeping changes underline how rapidly Big Tech companies are reshaping themselves around artificial intelligence — even if it comes at the cost of thousands of jobs.