Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has recently fired about two dozen employees at its Los Angeles headquarters for misusing their meal vouchers, according to the Financial Times. The fired staff members reportedly used their $25 meal credits to purchase non-food items, such as toothpaste, sparking controversy. As part of its benefits package, Meta provides employees with daily meal credits in increments of $25, which are meant to be used for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, some workers opted to spend their credits on everyday goods from local stores when they weren’t planning to eat at the office.
One employee, who reportedly earned around $400,000 annually, revealed on the anonymous worker review site Blind that they had used their meal credit to purchase toothpaste and tea on days when their spouse was cooking at home. They believed this was a practical way not to waste the allotted credit. However, this action caught the attention of Meta’s human resources department, leading to their termination.
The decision to fire these employees has drawn outrage from both the impacted staff and their colleagues. Many of them shared their frustrations on Blind, calling the company’s actions excessive. Some users criticized Meta’s handling of the situation, especially given the company’s recent wave of layoffs during a broader “reorganization.” Comments on the platform reflected anger, with one user stating, “this type of shit deserves publicity and calling out.” Others expressed solidarity with their terminated coworkers, while some posts explicitly targeted Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg with profanity.
Meta declined to comment on the firings but emphasized that they try to find other opportunities for affected employees a statement that did little to quell the rising dissatisfaction over the company’s actions.