Zuckerberg not concerned about employee exodus, will make Facebook a 'better company'
The report said some tech employees have become disillusioned with working for the social media giant
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that the company was having a difficult time retaining employees, but said he sees that as potentially a good thing for the future.
"I don't think this sort of volatility, that companies can face, is always that unhealthy for make sure you have the right people," Zuckerberg said in a call bout first-quarter results.
Facebook co-founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images / Getty Images)
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While the report said some tech employees have become disillusioned with working for the social media giant, Zuckerberg argued that employee attrition has natural peaks and valleys that lead to a company being better off in the long term.
"We'll see attrition go up and down over time, but I think we're doing ok now," Zuckerberg said. "Over the long long term, I think it's going to make us a better company.
Zuckerberg pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic and noted that many employees were staying at their current companies, perhaps prolonging their stay at a company that wasn't a fit for them. Now that the pandemic has began to wane, those employees are moving on while Facebook recruits those that are a better fit for its vision.
"During Covid, we saw the attrition level go down a lot because people didn't want to get new jobs, which probably meant that a lot of people stayed at the company that didn't care that much about what we were doing, compared to what we would have wanted," Zuckerberg said.
The report comes as Facebook makes the shift to Meta Platforms, where the company will begin to focus on its Reality Labs and artificial intelligence divisions. While the company has 78,000 employees, it is looking to recruit thousands more as its strategy shifts.
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Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer and founder of Facebook. George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Zuckerberg argues he will be focused on building toward that future vision while hiring people who share the company's passion for its new direction.
"I'm just trying to lead the company in a way where we position ourselves as the premier company for building the future of social interaction and the metaverse, and if your care about those things, we're getting the best people to come work here," Zuckerberg said.