Mark Zuckerberg just admitted that more workers are leaving Facebook. He just doesn't see that as a bad thing.
"I don't think this sort of volatility, that companies can face, is always that unhealthy for making sure you have the right people," the founder and CEO said on a call to discuss Facebook's first-quarter results.
Insider has reported on the company's retention problems, with some tech workers now saying Facebook can be a "black mark" on their resumes.
Zuckerberg said on Wednesday that employee attrition can ultimately ensure that the right kinds of people stick with the company as it begins a risky shift to building the metaverse.
"During Covid, we saw the attrition level go down a lot because people didn't want to get new jobs, which probably meant that a lot of people stayed at the company that didn't care that much about what we were doing, compared to what we would have wanted," Zuckerberg added. "And I'm just trying to lead the company in a way where we position ourselves as the premier company for building the future of social interaction and the metaverse, and if you care about those things, we're getting the best people to come work here."
David Wehner, Facebook's CFO, said "attrition has stepped up" since the height of the pandemic, insisting that it is "broadly consistent" with the number of people who would leave the company before the pandemic.
Zuckerberg noted that while the company is still doing a lot of recruiting, there is also a major focus on moving people around within the company, where it's "shifting priorities," like metaverse division Reality Labs and artificial intelligence and machine learning teams. Overall, Facebook, aka Meta Platforms, has just under 78,000 employees, up 28% from last year. It's looking to add several thousand more.
"We'll see attrition go up and down over time, but I think we're doing ok now," Zuckerberg said. "Over the long term, I think it's going to make us a better company."
Are you a Facebook employee with insight to share? Got a tip? Contact Kali Hays at khays@insider.com or through secure messaging app Signal at 949-280-0267. Reach out using a non-work device. Twitter DM at @hayskali. Check out Insider's source guide for other suggestions on how to share information securely.
