Corporate Greed at Its Finest
Meta’s financial performance in 2024 was staggering—reporting a net income of $20.8 billion while maintaining a workforce of 74,067 employees by year’s end. And yet, despite these massive profits, Meta is laying off 5% of its workforce—around 3,703 employees—all while approving massive executive bonus increases that allow top executives to earn up to 200% of their base salary (up from 75%).
This decision isn’t about necessity. It’s about corporate greed, plain and simple.
1. Could Meta Afford to Keep These Employees?
Absolutely. Let’s break it down.
Meta’s 2024 net income was $20.8 billion. If Meta had chosen to redistribute just a fraction of its profits instead of cutting jobs, every single employee—including those laid off—could have received a substantial payout.
- 100% profit payout → Each employee could have received $281,339 while Meta retained $0 in profit.
- 30% profit payout → Each employee could have received $84,401, while Meta still retained $14.5 billion in net income.
- 15% profit payout → Each employee could have received $44,216, while Meta still retained $17.1 billion in net income.
Even at a 15% payout, these workers could have received life-changing bonuses—all while leaving Meta with an obscene amount of profit. Instead, Meta chose to reward its top executives and eliminate thousands of jobs.
2. Who Really Benefits?
This decision follows a clear trend in corporate America:
✅ Profits continue to rise
✅ Executive pay keeps increasing
❌ Workers continue to suffer under “cost-cutting measures”
Instead of rewarding the employees who contributed to the company’s success, Meta’s leadership prioritized executive enrichment over workforce stability.
This isn’t a financially necessary layoff—it’s a choice.
A choice to sacrifice thousands of workers for the benefit of a few at the top.
3. What This Says About Corporate America
Meta’s actions raise critical questions:
- Should massively profitable companies be allowed to lay off workers while increasing executive compensation?
- Is this a reflection of a broken corporate culture that prioritizes the elite few over the hardworking majority?
- Can public and investor pressure force Meta and similar companies to adopt more equitable profit-sharing models?
This isn’t just about Meta—it’s about the growing disparity between those who build a company’s success and those who disproportionately benefit from it.
The message is clear: In today’s corporate America, if you’re not an executive, you are expendable.
4. What Can Be Done?
If we want to stop this cycle of corporate greed, it starts with demanding better policies and holding these companies accountable.
🔹 Public & Investor Pressure
- Boycott or divest from companies that slash jobs while inflating executive pay.
- Call out these companies publicly—bad press is one of the few things that force action.
🔹 Push for Stronger Regulations
- Legislation should tie executive pay to worker wages—if a company can afford multi-million-dollar bonuses, it can afford to pay workers fairly.
- Corporate tax penalties for layoffs during record profits—companies shouldn’t get tax breaks while laying off workers.
🔹 Demand Fair Profit-Sharing Models
- Profit-sharing programs could prevent mass layoffs while ensuring all employees benefit from success.
- Companies should be required to disclose executive pay increases alongside layoffs—forcing transparency in decision-making.
5. Final Thoughts: A Symptom of a Broken System
Meta’s decision is not unique—it’s a symptom of a corporate culture that prioritizes shareholder value and executive enrichment over employee well-being.
This isn’t just about one company or one layoff cycle.
It’s about whether we accept this as normal, or fight back against a system that continues to exploit workers while rewarding the ultra-rich.
Because until something changes, this cycle will continue.
And next time?
It might be your job on the chopping block.