Meta has terminated 24 employees in Los Angeles over meal vouchers with the reason of misuse, the latest in a series of cost-cutting measures aimed at tightening operations. Questions surfaced about whether these actions reflect a deeper tension between employee reliance on perks and the company’s push for efficiency.

The meal credits, intended to cover workday food expenses, were instead used by some employees to purchase non-food items such as toothpaste, wine glasses, and household goods like laundry detergent. Wildly enough, one $400,000 annually earning employee, who has since been fired, proceeded to post their experience on the anonymous platform Blind, stating, “On days where I would not be eating at the office… I figured I ought not to waste the dinner credit”.

The investigation was triggered after a pattern of repeated misuse emerged, with employees found to be sending meals home or pooling their meal credits together to buy non-meal-related items. Meta offers a daily allowance of $20 for breakfast, $25 for lunch, and $25 for dinner to employees, a perk common among large tech companies.

While some employees were only reprimanded for minor infractions, those who repeatedly abused the meal credits faced termination.

Meta’s decision to fire employees occurs amidst a major restructuring. Over the past two years, Meta has laid off around 21,000 employees, part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “year of efficiency” strategy to reduce costs and realign resources.

“Today, a few teams at Meta are making changes to ensure resources are aligned with their long-term strategic goals and location strategy,” a Meta spokesperson said. “This includes moving some teams to different locations and moving some employees to different roles. In situations like this when a role is eliminated, we work hard to find other opportunities for impacted employees.”

Meta, like many other tech firms, has been reevaluating employee perks amid growing financial pressures. In recent months, the company has trimmed various benefits and realigned teams to ensure resources are aligned with its long-term strategic goals.

The firings have sparked discussion around the ethics of company resource misuse and the growing tension between generous tech perks and company cost-cutting measures. Companies like Google have reduced offerings such as free snacks, laundry services, and even commuter benefits. Employees often associate perks with overall job satisfaction, and losing these benefits can feel akin to a pay cut.

As Meta pushes forward with its restructuring, the firings serve as a reminder of the delicate balance between offering competitive employee benefits and maintaining accountability. With the company’s continued focus on efficiency, further scrutiny of employee practices will likely follow.