Back ‘Earned ₹1.5 cr to do nothing,’ claims former Meta employee

logo of Meta

 The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium. 

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has announced a second round of mass layoffs that will see 10,000 jobs being cut, in the face of an anticipated economic downturn in the industry.

A former employee of Meta has claimed that she was paid $190,000 ( ₹1.5 crore) to do "nothing" at work for a year, in the wake of recent layoffs at the company, as per a report by Independent.

Madelyn Machado, who was a recruiter, shared details of her six-month stint in 2021 at the company in a TikTok video titled "Getting paid $190k to do nothing at Meta," according to the Independent's report. 

In the video, Machado mentioned that the company was not hiring any new employees during her time there.

"We weren't expected to hire anybody for the first six months, even the first year. That really blew my mind. Like perfect, I'm just going to ride this out for a year, obviously, I didn't make that," she said in the video. 

Maddie further noted that her day as being filled with "learning," adding that Meta has the "best onboarding and training" procedures that were "very thorough." Before criticising some of the meetings she had to attend, she made fun of the fact that her "expectations" at the start of her career were to be "taking it all in," as per the outlet.

Machado stated, "But the most that we did, this is the crazy part, is we had so many team meetings. Why are we meeting? We're not hiring nobody. Just to hear how everyone else isn't hiring anybody. And also, I was on a team where everyone was new, so none of us were hiring anybody." 

Machado, posted on LinkedIn to clarify the reports, "I posted a video that has gone viral on the wrong side of TikTok. Where I stated in my six months at Meta, I wasn't expected to hire anyone and I didn't do anything other than learn for the first six months," Machado said.

She stated that her previous remarks were taken out of context, and that her role at Meta was not as simple as it may have been portrayed in the media.

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has announced a second round of mass layoffs that will see 10,000 jobs being cut, in the face of an anticipated economic downturn in the industry. 

The restructuring plan will also involve the cancellation of 5,000 planned hires, as well as the termination of lower-priority projects and a reduction in middle management positions.