Meta Messenger layoffs: Facebook parent Meta continues its relentless pursuit of efficiency, resulting in a series of layoffs across its platforms. This week, Messenger, the popular direct-messaging app within Facebook, experienced a round of layoffs impacting fewer than 50 employees, Business Insider reported quoting sources familiar with the matter. The layoffs are part of a broader reorganisation aimed at streamlining Messenger's operations.

The recent cuts at Messenger follow a similar downsizing at Instagram, another Meta-owned platform, as reported by Business Insider. Both Messenger and Instagram have eliminated numerous technical-program-manager roles, integrating these responsibilities into the role of product managers. This restructuring was initiated after Instagram phased out the TPM position, prompting other divisions within Meta, including the Facebook unit overseeing Messenger, to follow suit.

A spokesperson for Meta declined to provide detailed comments, stating only that the company's efficiency initiatives are ongoing, according to the report.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg's focus on efficiency, dubbed the "year of efficiency" in 2023, involved significant layoffs exceeding 20,000 employees, restructuring management roles, and transitioning away from a phase of rapid expansion. Despite originally planning for a single-year initiative, Zuckerberg has extended the efficiency drive indefinitely, fostering a culture shift within Meta. Many managers now prioritise cost-cutting measures and team streamlining, contributing to a sense of perpetual uncertainty among employees.

In addition to Messenger, the broader Facebook business underwent structural changes last year to simplify operations. Layoffs were also experienced within this division, with further cuts anticipated throughout this year.