美国国家公共电台 NPR--Meta is notifying thousands of workers that their positions have been eliminated

Meta is notifying thousands of workers that their positions have been eliminated

Transcript¹

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, is laying off thousands of employees. The cuts are the first major workforce² reduction there since the company was founded 18 years ago.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

On this day after the election, there is other news to report. The economy has been a major concern for voters, but businesses are also concerned about the state of the economy. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is laying off 11,000 employees. This is about 13% of its workforce. And these layoffs³ are the first the company has made since it was founded 18 years ago. We've got NPR tech reporter Bobby Allyn with us.

Hey, Bobby.

BOBBY ALLYN, BYLINE⁴: Good morning.

MARTIN: So has Meta already started notifying employees who are getting laid off at this point?

ALLYN: They have. As you mentioned, they started notifying 11,000 workers today that they had no choice but to eliminate some of these positions. It's worth noting that Meta is a massive company of more than 87,000 employees, you know, working on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other services. But Meta, like so many other tech firms, went on a hiring spree during the pandemic, when so much of our lives went digital, and a lot of that hiring was sort of hanging on the hope that the rapid growth would continue. And well, Rachel, it just didn't.

It's been a bruising⁵ year for the tech industry. CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally apologized to employees today, calling it, you know, one of the most difficult decisions in the company's history and saying he takes personal accountability for the action. He wrote, quote, "I know this is tough for everyone, and I'm especially sorry to those impacted."

MARTIN: So they overestimated⁶ their growth plan. But is that it? Were there other factors at play here?

ALLYN: There was some other factors at play. Firstly, the online advertising⁷ market is really taking a beating right now. I mean, the fear of a recession, rising inflation and the war in Ukraine just have caused the advertising sector⁸ to slow down. And companies reliant on ads like Meta are really feeling the pain. Remember, around 97% of Meta's revenue comes from ads. So when the ad market gets shaky, social media companies get clobbered⁹.

Another major factor has to do with what's happening inside of Meta. As the name suggests, Meta now cares a lot about the metaverse, you know, this future in which, you know, we're all wearing these fancy headsets and going about our lives in virtual reality. Well, that pivot¹⁰ has cost billions of dollars, but investors¹¹ are getting impatient with it because it's just not paying off as fast as the company had hoped. It's still in its early stages. True believers say, just give it some time. But investors say, it's unproven. It's a money pit, and it's hurting the company.

MARTIN: So what does this mean? I mean, do we really look to tech as a bellwether¹² for the broader economy and a potential downturn?

ALLYN: You know, big tech companies are some of the most profitable firms in the world, sitting on these huge mountains of cash. So when they have to start laying people off like Meta's doing here, laying off 11,000 people, the rest of the corporate¹³ world sits up and sure does pay attention. Now, does it mean that other sectors¹⁴ will start preparing for a potential economic downturn? I am not sure. But it definitely sends a troubling sign to other large companies.

Now, that said, some of the reasons why Meta and other tech companies are scaling back are definitely particular to this industry. But, you know, big-picture concerns about inflation being at a 40-year high, the war in Ukraine causing economic uncertainty¹⁵ and recession fears ratcheting up are things that are sending jitters¹⁶ up and down the economy right now.

MARTIN: NPR's tech correspondent Bobby Allyn reporting on the layoffs expected to happen at Meta, the parent company of Facebook. They're going to lay off 13% of their workforce. We appreciate you, Bobby. Stay with NPR all...

ALLYN: Thank you, Rachel.

MARTIN: Stay with NPR all day. Npr.org has the election results that you need. You can also listen to our colleagues at All Things Considered later today for results and analysis.

(SOUNDBITE OF ROBERT ASHFORD'S "THE CLOWNS, THE MIMES AND MARIONETTES (DUET FOR VIOLIN AND CELLO)")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

3 layoffs   

临时解雇( layoff的名词复数 )； 停工，停止活动

参考例句：

• Textile companies announced 2000 fresh layoffs last week. 各纺织公司上周宣布再次裁员两千人。
• Stock prices broke when the firm suddenly announced layoffs. 当公司突然宣布裁员时，股票价格便大跌

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 bruising   

adj.殊死的；十分激烈的v.擦伤(bruise的现在分词形式)

参考例句：

• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
• He slipped and fell, badly bruising an elbow. 他滑倒了，一只胳膊肘严重擦伤。 来自辞典例句

6 overestimated   

对（数量）估计过高，对…作过高的评价( overestimate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They overestimated his ability when they promoted him. 他们提拔他的时候高估了他的能力。
• The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits. 财政部一贯高估预算赤字。

7 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

8 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

9 clobbered   

v.狠揍， （不停）猛打( clobber的过去式和过去分词 )；彻底击败

参考例句：

• The paper got clobbered with libel damages of half a million pounds. 这家报纸被罚以五十万英镑的诽谤损害赔偿金。
• The robbers clobbered the shopkeeper to make him open the safe. 强盗们殴打店主迫使他打开保险箱。 来自辞典例句

10 pivot   

v.在枢轴上转动；装枢轴，枢轴；adj.枢轴的

参考例句：

• She is the central pivot of creation and represents the feminine aspect in all things.她是创造的中心枢轴，表现出万物的女性面貌。
• If a spring is present,the hand wheel will pivot on the spring.如果有弹簧，手轮的枢轴会装在弹簧上。

11 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

12 bellwether   

n.系铃的公羊，前导，领导者，群众的首领

参考例句：

• University campuses are often the bellwether of change.大学校园往往引领变革的新潮。
• For decades the company was the bellwether of the British economy.几十年来，这家公司一直是英国经济的晴雨表。

13 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

14 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

16 jitters   

n.pl.紧张(通常前面要有the)

参考例句：

• I always get the jitters before exams. 我考试前总是很紧张。
• The whole city had the jitters from the bombing. 全城居民都为轰炸而心神不宁。