If you’re one of the 8,000 Meta employees getting laid off in May, the difference between a good and great outcome could be worth $50,000 or more. The main reason for the layoffs is to offset their massive AI CAPEX.
I’ve spent 14 years helping people negotiate severance packages, including engineering my own layoff and my wife’s, and Meta’s offer is one of the more interesting case studies I’ve seen in a while. Let me break it down component by component.
Here’s the key excerpt from Meta’s internal memo that made its way out:
“We will support those who are laid off with a generous severance package which, in the US, will include 16 weeks base pay plus two weeks for every year of employment. We will also cover the cost of COBRA health care coverage for US employees and their families for 18 months.”
On the surface, 16 weeks of base pay plus two weeks per year of service sounds impressive. If you’ve been at Meta for 10 years, that’s 16 + 20 = 36 weeks of salary. On a $250,000 base, you’re looking at roughly $173,000. Not bad.
But here’s what most employees don’t know, and it changes the picture somewhat.
The WARN Act: What Meta Is Required To Pay vs. What’s Negotiable
Under the California WARN Act, companies with 75 or more employees must provide 60 days’ notice or 60 days of pay to all workers before a mass layoff. That’s 8 weeks, non-negotiable, legally mandated, and not a favor Meta is doing you.
This matters because severance is voluntary pay. WARN Act pay is not. When you strip out the 8 weeks Meta is legally required to pay anyway, the actual discretionary severance comes down to just 8 additional weeks of base pay, plus two weeks per year of service.
That changes the grade.
Grading Meta’s Severance Package
Base Pay Component: B+
Sixteen weeks total (8 mandatory + 8 voluntary) is above average, but it’s not exceptional. The gold standard I’ve seen consistently, both in my own negotiation and across the hundred-plus people I’ve consulted with, is three weeks of pay for every year of service, not two.
That 50% bump is absolutely achievable and worth fighting for. It’s what I and my wife got. It’s also what many of my consulting clients have gotten.
Meta gives you two weeks per year. You should be asking for three.
COBRA Coverage: A+
This is where Meta genuinely deserves recognition. Covering 100% of COBRA health insurance for 18 months is outstanding.
The median I’ve seen across hundreds of severance packages is six months of COBRA coverage. Some companies offer nothing at all. Meta’s 18 months is genuinely rare, and for a family, the math is significant.
My family spends roughly $3,000 a month on health insurance. Eighteen months of Meta-covered COBRA would be worth $54,000 to us alone. When you’re evaluating competing job offers after a layoff, don’t forget to factor in what you’d lose the moment this coverage ends.
Overall Package: B+
Solid, above-average, and notably generous on healthcare. But the base pay component has room to move, and that’s where your energy should go.
Knowing In Advance Is a Massive Advantage – Use It
Meta announced the May 20th layoff date weeks ahead of time. For most employees, that feels like a month of anxiety. But if you reframe it, it’s actually a month of leverage.
If you want to keep your job, use this window aggressively. Reconnect with your manager. Demonstrate your value in concrete terms. Make yourself visible to the people making the decisions. This way, you improve your chances of surviving.
If you were already thinking about leaving, this is one of the best things that could have happened to you. Every year, thousands of employees walk away from severance money they were legally and ethically entitled to, simply because they were too uncomfortable to ask for it, or didn’t know how. Quitting forfeits everything. Negotiating a layoff puts money in your pocket on the way out the door.
Now is the time for unhappy Meta employees to volunteer to be laid off. You relieve your manager of a painful decision. You potentially open the door to a better package. And if you approach it correctly, you may even be able to negotiate your way back in as a part-time consultant at a significantly higher hourly rate, something I’ve helped dozens of people do, including my own wife.
What To Do Right Now
The window between now and May 20th is short. Here’s how to spend it:
First, make sure your personal email is updated in Workday. Meta has explicitly said layoff notifications will go to both your work and personal accounts.
Second, if you’re open to being laid off, start having quiet conversations with your manager or HR head now. Frame it as wanting to help them through a difficult process, not as desperation.
Third, understand that the package Meta announced is a starting point, not a ceiling. Severance is negotiable. Most people don’t know this. The ones who do almost always come out ahead.
I’ve laid out the full playbook for exactly how to have these conversations – what to say, what not to say, how to time it, and how to get hired back at a higher rate – in my book, How To Engineer Your Layoff. If you’re a Meta employee reading this right now, or someone who is looking to leave their jobs, that’s where I’d start. Use the code “saveten” at checkout to save $10.
If you’d like personalized help navigating your specific situation, book a consultation here. I will give you the courage to take the leap of faith. I work with a limited number of people directly, and given the timing, spots will fill quickly.
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