Meta plans to reduce its office space in Lagos. It is reducing its real estate footprint to transition some employees to desk sharing, particularly those who spend little time at work.
- Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is reportedly planning to reduce its office space as it renegotiates its tenancy agreement at the Kings Tower building in Ikoyi, Lagos.
- Meta stated in a statement that reviewing its office space regularly to ensure that it meets the needs of the business, including its Nigerian office.
“As we shrink our real estate footprint, we’re transitioning to desk sharing for people who already spend most of their time outside the office.”
This report follows the layoff of about 35 people in Nigeria, including the company's engineering team of up to 24 employees. Per TechCabal, Meta engineers serve the region from several global engineering hubs outside Nigeria.
In April 2023, Meta announced a mass layoff of up to 4,000 employees across its technical teams, including those working on Facebook, Instagram, Reality Labs, and WhatsApp. This came after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in February 2023 that the company would cut 10,000 more jobs in the coming months, following the same decision in November 2022.
According to an additional report, Meta emphasised that the development will not affect its ongoing investment, stating, "We are firmly committed to Nigeria and are making focused, balanced investments to support our most strategic long-term priorities."
Recall that Microsoft, another tech behemoth with a physical presence in Nigeria, announced in May 2024 that the company's recent closure only impacted the engineering team at the Microsoft Africa Development Centre (ADC) in Lagos and had no bearing on Microsoft Nigeria's operations.
Microsoft Nigeria handles Microsoft's product and service sales, marketing, and support, while the ADC concentrated on engineering and innovation.
Meanwhile, during a visit to Nigeria, Nick Clegg, Meta's President of Global Affairs, stated that it would allow Nigerian content creators to monetise their content through options and features released in June 2024.