The Quest for Hardcore Mediocrity

Photo by Dima Solomin on Unsplash

The curse of the “low-performer”. They seem to be everywhere no matter how hardcore your interview process might be. They stick around even if you employ stack-ranking and purge the lowest performing employees.

This is interesting timing for a company supposedly obsessed with integrating AI. Of course this is explained as no AI in the world is ready to handle Meta-grade mediocrity just yet.

Current Events

In a memo, Zuckerberg claimed he wanted to “raise the bar on performance management” which sounds as inspirational as that time our tech lead tried to encourage us with a team game. We sat in silence.

Anyway Meta will shed around 3,600 people, and those who lose their jobs will receive “generous severance”, whatever that means. Meta employees are undoubtedly double-checking their OKRs while secretly wondering if anyone really reads them anyway or whether low performers are just those who don’t keep their heads down and their mouths shut.

When Inspiration Becomes Imitation

Zuckerberg’s approach bears a familiar tone. His newfound obsession with “hardcore” talent sounds suspiciously like a love letter to Elon Musk’s management playbook. After Musk’s Twitter purge, The Zuck seems eager to sprinkle a little of that chaotic, boot-camp energy over at Meta HQ.

If layoffs and meritocracy are the future of “progress” we should all invest in popcorn memes as we watch short-termism get real with copycat corporate behavior.

The parallels between Meta and X are uncanny. Remember when Musk demanded “extreme hardcore” dedication, well The Zuck takes the mediocre option of “raising the bar”. It’s the same, but weak sauce.

AI Isn’t Taking Jobs…Yet

In his appearance on Joe Rogan last week, Zuckerberg mused about replacing “midlevel engineers” with AI. This would presumably streamline operations, if the AI were up to snuff. Unfortunately, AI currently struggles with nuances like context, ethics and would benefit from fact-checkers. For now, Zuck’s plan only involves human layoffs. Because Musk thought it a good idea over at X and Meta felt the need to copy this poor strategy.

Content Moderation and Corporate Machismo

As Zuckerberg trims his workforce, he’s also relaxing Meta’s already shaky content moderation standards. The timing here is as subtle as a LinkedIn humblebrag: Trump’s second term is around the corner, and The Zuck clearly wants to stay in his good graces.

Well I guess who wouldn’t want to placate a man who once threatened to throw you in jail?

And then there’s the curious injection of “masculine energy.” Yes, Zuckerberg believes companies are becoming “culturally neutered” and that it’s time to double down on macho vibes. Does this mean team-building retreats will now include axe-throwing contests? Or just more performative Slack messages like “Crush those bugs, bro!”, or I guess at mediocre Meta they just clap emoji, bro.

Welcome to Tech’s Ongoing Self-Destruction

Meta isn’t alone. Microsoft, Google, and other giants are also cutting costs with strategic layoffs. If history is any guide, the same companies will be in for a shock when their organization starts hemorrhaging critical expertise. But hey, at least the quarterly profits will look good for a moment. It’s short-termism at its finest as it takes years to get an engineer working at full capacity. We’ve been here before, and I guess we will be again. It’s just not pleasant for anyone involved.

Conclusion

Zuckerberg has seen what is going on at X and thought that’s a great idea. He’s bringing back a culture where tech leaders worship at the altar of austerity and grind culture.

The next 12 months at Meta are shaping up to be exactly as “intense” as promised. If you thought your standups were a waste of time, imagine attending one knowing your severance package might be discussed in the next sprint review.

Maybe it’s time for Zuckerberg to raise the bar on his own performance. Look at how well the code is going, and lifting the standard of recruitment training and management performance. I guess that will never happen, though.