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Opinion
Business Fortune
22 Febuary, 2024
Zuckerberg shared his thoughts on what is causing the tech layoffs
The year 2024 has been a challenging period for many professionals in the IT sector, marked by widespread layoffs affecting as many as 157 companies and approximately 40,000 employees within just two months. Despite a variety of explanations offered for these job cuts, none have seemed satisfactory, exacerbating the prevailing concerns. Now, Mark Zuckerberg, the head of Meta, appears to offer insights into the ongoing wave of layoffs in the technology industry. In an interview with Morning Brew's Daily Podcast, the 39-year-old entrepreneur highlighted that companies are beginning to recognize the advantages of operating with a leaner workforce, albeit acknowledging the painful nature of layoffs. He noted that many companies are still adapting to the post-pandemic landscape.
During the conversation, Zuckerberg also touched upon the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on employment and discussed Sam Altman's ambitious $7 trillion chip venture aimed at advancing AI technologies. Regarding recent layoffs in the tech industry, Zuckerberg attributed them largely to companies over-expanding during the pandemic-induced surge in e-commerce. As the situation normalized, companies realized they had become overstaffed and needed to trim their workforce. Zuckerberg also shared his perspective on Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, praising Altman's thoughtfulness and earnestness while expressing some skepticism about the staggering $7 trillion figure for his semiconductor initiative. Despite this, Zuckerberg acknowledged the value of Altman's vision in driving progress within the AI domain.