Meta recently terminated about two dozen employees in its Los Angeles office for misusing the company’s meal credit system.

These employees used their allocated meal credits—US$25 for lunch and dinner—to buy household items like laundry detergent and cookware instead of food.

Sources familiar with the matter said last week’s terminations were part of wider layoffs affecting various teams, including WhatsApp and Instagram, alongside the augmented reality division, Reality Labs.

This reflects CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s ongoing efficiency initiative, which has led to nearly 21,000 job cuts over the past two years, continuing to reshape the organizational structure at Meta.

Employees at Meta’s smaller offices, which lack cafeterias, have traditionally received meal delivery credits as a workplace benefit.

Insiders revealed that the terminated staff frequently pooled their credits for personal use and requested deliveries to their homes, practices violating company policies.