A week after laying off 3,600 employees, Meta raises top executives’ bonuses by 200%!

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta laid off 3,600 employees a week ago and now, according to corporate filings, the company has decided to increase executive bonuses to 200% of base salary, more than double the previous 75%. The move, taken by Meta’s Compensation, Nomination and Governance Committee (CNGC) on February 13, 2025, is reportedly aimed at matching executive pay with industry standards. However, the move by the company is being criticized for its timing, as the company recently cut its workforce by 5% citing poor performance.

According to Moneycontrol, Meta’s board justified the bonus hike by saying that its executive compensation was significantly lower than competitors. Before the hike, the company had claimed that its executive pay was “at or below the 15th percentile” compared to similar positions at rival companies. Following the adjustment, executive compensation now reportedly matches the “fiftieth percentile” of its peer group, excluding CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The report further states that Meta insisted that the move was necessary to retain top executives and maintain competitive salaries in the tech industry. The company argues that without this adjustment, it risked losing lead employees to competitors offering higher salary packages. However, the move has also been criticized as thousands of employees have lost their jobs in recent layoffs.

Meta says that these 3,600 employees have been fired due to their “low performance”. However, the decision has faced a lot of criticism on social media, with many accusing Meta of prioritizing executive salaries over employee welfare.