Zuckerberg fires Meta employees with 6-figure salaries for misusing free meal vouchers

Following an investigation, it was discovered that several employees had been abusing the vouchers to buy non-food items

Meta recently sacked dozens of its employees working at the company's Los Angeles office for abusing its free meal system. The tech giant, owned by Mark Zuckerberg, reportedly fired 24 employees for using their $25 meal credit vouchers to buy personal items like toothpaste, laundry detergent and wine glasses, reported Financial Times.

FILE PHOTO: Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg reacts as he testifies during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on online child sexual exploitation at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 31, 2024. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo(REUTERS)

Meta fires 24 employees for misusing company's free meal vouchers

The company, which owns social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, is widely recognised for offering its employees lavish perks. One such perk is free food. At its larger offices, the staffers can enjoy quality food from canteens free of cost. However, in smaller spaces, Meta offers its employees daily meal credits to order food through delivery services like Grubhub and UberEats.

Meta's daily allowances for an employee include $20 for breakfast, $25 for lunch and $25 for dinner. Last week, the company took stringent action against the workers who were caught misusing this facility. Following an investigation, it was discovered that several employees had been abusing the vouchers to buy non-food items and even have food delivered at home when not in the office.

Despite initial warnings, the misuse persisted, leading to the final decision to let the employees go. One such unnamed employee, who was on a $400,000 salary, shared that they used the credits to buy household items and groceries. “On days where I would not be eating at the office, like if my husband was cooking or if I was grabbing dinner with friends, I figured I ought not to waste the dinner credit,” they wrote on the anonymous messaging platform Blind, per The Guardian.

In the wake of the recent layoffs, Meta spokesperson David Arnold said in a statement, “Today, a few teams at Meta are making changes to ensure resources are aligned with their long-term strategic goals and location strategy.” “This includes moving some teams to different locations and reallocating employees into new roles. In cases where a role is eliminated, we work hard to find new opportunities within the company,” Arnold added, per Benzinga.