On Monday, Meta announced a significant reduction in its workforce, laying off approximately 4,000 employees during a performance-based downsizing initiative. Reports indicate that many of those affected had received highly positive evaluations from their supervisors just a year prior.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg disclosed the layoffs in January, revealing a plan to cut Meta’s workforce by 5%. He communicated to employees his intention to elevate standards in performance management, adapting a more “hardcore” strategy for identifying and removing underperformers—a method reminiscent of practices employed by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.

Several impacted staff members expressed dismay over the abrupt firings, noting that they had earned “At or Above Expectations” ratings in their annual performance assessments, which falls in the middle tier of Meta’s review system, as reported by Business Insider.

“We were told by management to expect the unexpected if we were to be affected, based on discussions that should have occurred during our regular one-on-ones,” one affected worker shared with Business Insider.

“I was completely caught off guard,” the employee added. “My manager consistently reassured me about my performance and didn’t mention any areas needing improvement. They even suggested I wouldn’t be impacted by the layoffs.”

Meta has not yet provided a statement in response to requests for comment.

Many of those who were laid off reported being high achievers last year, only to be shocked by a sudden downgrade in their performance ratings to “Meets Most,” a lesser grade, just prior to the layoffs.

“Receiving that email was a surprise, especially given my strong record and the absence of any recent performance issues,” one laid-off employee told Business Insider.

Another Meta employee, who stated they were “unexpectedly” terminated, shared documents on the internal platform Workplace, illustrating their history of meeting or exceeding expectations for four consecutive years, before experiencing a sudden drop to “Meets Most” late in 2024, according to Business Insider.

One staff member reported having received an “At or Above Expectations” rating in early 2024 but was dismissed shortly after returning from parental leave.

“I am bewildered by my termination,” this employee remarked on Workplace. “I genuinely believe this must be a mistake.”

Last month, Zuckerberg expressed his intent to swiftly “remove low performers” from the company.

Internal guidelines allowed Meta’s management to include employees from higher performance tiers in the layoffs if they struggled to meet reduction targets solely among low performers, according to Business Insider.

Concerns were shared among employees about how the unexpected performance downgrade and the public acknowledgment of being categorized as “low performers” by Zuckerberg could adversely affect their future career prospects.

“The most challenging aspect is Meta publicly labeling us as low performers; it feels like we have a scarlet letter on us,” an affected worker explained. “It’s crucial for others to understand that we are not underachievers.”

Another employee mentioned their rating was lowered by two tiers from their mid-year review in 2024 without any feedback from their manager.

“I find it hard to accept Meta’s assertion that they are only cutting low performers,” remarked another laid-off employee. “Based on past evaluations from my manager, I struggle to believe I was classified as a low performer.”