Meta fires two dozen employees for misusing $25 meal allowance

Meta’s meal allowances misused: Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has dismissed around two dozen employees from its Los Angeles office for misusing a $25 meal allowance, according to media reports. 

The reports stated that staff were fired after Meta discovered they were abusing the food credit system to purchase non-food items, including household goods such as detergent, wine glasses, and acne pads. The allowance, meant for daily meals, was also reportedly used to send food home rather than being consumed at the office.

Meta has yet to respond to queries from either publication at the time of reporting. According to Fox Business, the company’s daily meal allowance is set at $75, allocated as $20 for breakfast and $25 each for lunch and dinner.

The report added that habitual offenders were dismissed, while employees who occasionally violated the policy were given warnings. A former Meta employee, who earned $400,000 a year, posted on the anonymous networking platform Blind, admitting they had used the meal credits to buy groceries. Describing the experience as "surreal," the ex-employee stated that they confessed to the misuse during an internal investigation and were subsequently terminated.

Separately, on October 17, The Verge reported that Meta initiated another round of layoffs, impacting staff across various divisions, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Reality Labs. However, these cuts are part of a broader reorganisation rather than a company-wide downsizing.

Meta confirmed the layoffs in a statement, explaining that the move aligns with its long-term strategies. The company added that it is relocating some teams and transitioning affected employees to new roles, while also making efforts to assist those whose positions have been eliminated.