A North African tech worker had packed his belongings and was ready to move to London for a “life-changing opportunity” at Meta when he received a call that abruptly stopped his plans.
A Meta recruiter informed him that his job offer had been withdrawn. He was scheduled to begin work in three weeks.
“There was nothing indicating they were reconsidering their decision, so it came as a surprise,” he told Insider. “They called on a Monday, and my flight was scheduled for Friday.”
He stated that he was among the engineers accepted into Meta’s Discover Production Engineering program, which the company describes as a 12-month program that provides systems and software engineering training to people with non-traditional backgrounds and can lead to a full-time role for some participants.
He is one of two tech workers who told Insider that Meta canceled their program offers before they were set to relocate to London. The employees requested anonymity because they signed documents prohibiting them from disparaging Meta. Insider confirmed their identities and looked over their offer letters.
The job offers were canceled as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced earlier this year plans to implement a hiring freeze and reduce budgets as the company deals with an advertising and revenue slowdown. A Meta representative also confirmed that the company had recently withdrawn internship offers.
The opportunity to work at Meta was described as a “dream come true” by the North African tech worker. He stated that he lacked the necessary experience to obtain a “real software engineer role.” He was confident that Meta’s program would pave the way for future opportunities.
“I was really looking forward to moving,” he said. “It’s not easy to obtain a British visa if you’re from [my country]. Because you had to travel to Tunisia, they were extremely helpful throughout the entire process.”
He hasn’t yet quit his job and owns his home, so he won’t need to look for new employment or housing.
However, another Italian engineer living elsewhere in Europe was not so fortunate. “Everything was planned, and I basically uprooted my life. I left my job, and I left my apartment,” he told Insider.
He stated that he had turned down job offers from Amazon and Skyscanner in order to participate in Meta’s Discover Production Engineering program.
“I was ecstatic when I finally got the offer,” he said.
The recruiter who called to cancel the offer blamed the cancellation on “economic conditions,” according to the Italian engineer.
He stated that after the way the company handled his job cancellation, he is unlikely to consider a future opportunity with Meta.
“I was interested in working at Meta because of the prestige, compensation, and interesting engineering challenges,” he said. “However, after seeing how unfocused leadership is, and the fact that they clearly don’t seem to care about their employees and future employees,” he added.
The North African tech worker, however, said he would be open to applying to Meta again. when the company lifts its hiring freeze.
“My experience with them was — until that phone call — was very positive. I don’t have any ill feelings toward them,” he said.
