MACHINE STATES: META PURGE 2025

The Megacorp Cycle: Hire. Expand. Purge.

This is Jade, reporting from the wastelands of the modern workforce, where yet another wave of layoffs crashes against the remains of the old tech empire. Meta just cut more employees loose, leaving thousands to scavenge for relevance in an industry that demands their absolute best, only to discard them when the numbers don’t fit.

They don’t call it a purge, of course. They call it “eliminating low performers.” A branding move—efficient, corporate, sterile. Except there’s nothing sterile about being publicly branded as dead weight.

The System Was Built to Break You

Tech jobs have always been an illusion of permanence—a golden contract built on impossible standards. The best of the best, hired after grueling interview cycles, only to be set up for failure the moment the company inflates beyond its means. Growth is exponential, but opportunity? That narrows.

The layoff cycle isn’t new. We saw it with Amazon, with Google, with Microsoft. But Meta’s move is different. It doesn’t just remove people—it marks them. Scarlet letters for the job market.

“Low performer” isn’t just a reason. It’s a label. A permanent one. The kind that makes recruiters hesitate, that pushes resumes to the bottom of the pile. In an industry that thrives on perception, it’s a silent execution.

What Happens to the Discarded?

The Megacity has no safety net. The system demands adaptation, or it will replace you with code. Zuckerberg himself is already betting that AI will replace engineers—Meta is laying off, but AI keeps its seat at the table.

For the displaced, the options are clear:
• Rebuild—find another corporate slot and hope the cycle doesn’t come for you next.
• Go rogue—freelance, build, survive in the underground networks of the industry.
• Exit—leave tech behind, find a different way to live, let the machine keep turning without you.

The Future Isn’t in Their Hands—It’s in Yours

Meta’s move is a reminder that loyalty is a one-way street in Big Tech. The same hands that offer six-figure salaries will sign the termination papers without hesitation. The same recruiters who called you a “rockstar” will ghost you the second your job title changes to “former.”

So the real question is: why play their game at all?

There are other ways. Other networks. The old model is breaking, and in its place, new systems are rising—decentralized, self-sufficient, powered by those who refuse to be another line item in a corporate restructuring.

This is the wake-up call. The one you weren’t supposed to hear.

Jade, Machine States. Welcome to the purge. What’s your next move?