Instagram Layoffs: 60 technical program manager positions axed

Amid a flurry of tech sector layoffs to begin 2024, Instagram has cut 60 technical program manager positions.

The reduction comes less than a year after its parent company, Meta, announced that it was eliminating 10,000 jobs in March.

What’s happening at Instagram?

According to news outlets, including The Information, Instagram is giving the affected staff members two months find another role at the company. If they are unsuccessful, their employment will be terminated.

Rachel Windzberg, a former Instagram employee, said in a LinkedIn post that some workers could be expected to “re-interview” for a different program manager role.

The social media platform’s decision to eliminate a layer of management comes as it prepares to reorganize some of its product teams.

Instagram has reportedly developed three new focus areas: Creation, Creators, and Friend Sharing, to help users create and share content on the platform.

Impact on Canadian staff

It remains unclear if Instagram has cut any technical program manager positions in Canada.

According to the company’s LinkedIn page, it has more than 550 Canadian employees.

Termination agreements for Instagram employees

In Canada, non-unionized employees at Instagram and Meta are owed full severance pay when they lose their jobs due to downsizing, corporate restructuring, or the closure of the business.

This includes individuals working full-time, part-time, or hourly in Ontario, Alberta, and B.C.

People working “on contract” or as a contractor may also be owed severance pay — given that many employees in Canada are often misclassified as independent contractors.

Severance can be as much as 24 months’ pay, depending on a number of factors.

WATCH: Employment lawyer Lior Samfiru explains what rights employees have if they are being fired or let go on an episode of the Employment Law Show.

Before you accept any severance offer, have an experienced employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP review it and your employment contract.

If you don’t receive the correct amount, which happens often, you have been wrongfully dismissed and should take legal action.

Non-unionized employees in Canada have up to two years from the date of their dismissal to pursue proper severance pay.

LEARN MORE
• Severance for provincially regulated employees
• Rights to severance for tech sector staff
• Severance packages during mass layoffs

Major tech layoffs continue

Instagram isn’t the only tech company that is reducing its workforce in 2024.

Other notable employers, including BenchSci, Discord, Google, Amazon, Twitch, Unity, and Xerox, have also pulled out the axe as they continue to navigate challenging economic conditions.

SEE ALSO
• Firm launches $130M class action against Shopify for breach of contract
• Citigroup to slash 20,000 jobs over the ‘medium-term’
• Where are layoffs happening in Canada?

Lost your job? Talk to an employment lawyer

If you have been fired or let go for any reason, contact the experienced employment law team at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP.

Our lawyers in Ontario, Alberta, and B.C. have successfully represented tens of thousands of non-unionized individuals.

In addition to severance package negotiations, we can assist you on a broad range of employment matters, including:

If you are a non-unionized employee who needs help with a workplace issue, contact us or call 1-855-821-5900 to get the advice you need and the compensation you deserve.