This is the unfortunate reality for the tech industry when the economy takes a downturn. With inflation and interest rates up, investment and revenue are down, which means companies need to cut off some of the excess expenses, like employees. To keep investors happy, both start-ups and massive platforms like Meta need to ensure they hit certain market goals.
Meta's financial problems aren't only from inflation but also the $9B already lost due to Zuckerberg's obsession with VR goggles and the metaverse. The irony is that while looking to mass-fire employees throughout the company, Zuckerberg doesn't seem to be reining in his metaverse ambitions. Only time will tell, but these layoffs won't do much good if no one wants to join Meta's virtual world.