Instagram has cut 60 CTO positions, eliminating a management level at the company, according to a new report from The information. Affected employees have two months to apply for other jobs with the company. After the two months, their employment will be terminated if they cannot secure a different role within the company.
In a Post on LinkedIna former Instagram employee noted that some technical program managers may be expected to “re-interview for PM roles” or project manager roles.
A Meta spokesman declined to comment on the job cuts. The spokesperson directed TechCrunch in March 2023 of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg suspension on the company’s “Year of Performance” in which the executive said Meta will focus on improving its financial performance and reducing headcount.
The Information reports that Instagram has also alerted employees to a reorganization of its product teams, as it decided to create three new areas of focus for the team tasked with helping people create and share content on the social network. The three new areas of focus are creation, creators, and friend sharing.
The changes mean Instagram is set to increase its focus on supporting creators who are most likely to drive teen engagement on the platform. It’s no surprise that Instagram wants its employees to focus on creators who can keep teen audiences on the platform, but the change comes as more than 40 states are suing Meta, claiming the company’s services contribute to the mental health of young user problems.
The lawsuit alleges that over the past decade, Meta has “profoundly altered the psychological and social reality of a generation of young Americans” and that it uses “powerful and unprecedented technologies to lure, engage and ultimately ensnare youth and teenagers.”
Meta’s focus on teen engagement also comes as the company is scheduled to testify before the Senate on child safety on Jan. 31, along with X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Snap and Discord. Committee members are expected to press company executives over the failure of their platforms to protect children online.
Despite the ongoing and ongoing regulatory pressure Meta faces, Instagram continues to focus on teen engagement and retention.
However, it appears that Meta is trying to appease lawmakers with its recent changes regarding teen safety. Earlier this week, Meta revealed that it was going to start automatically limiting the type of content that teens’ Instagram and Facebook social media accounts can see. As part of the changes, teen accounts will be restricted from viewing harmful content, such as posts about self-harm, graphic violence and eating disorders.
