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Berton, who worked as a Staff Software Engineer at Meta, revealed in a viral LinkedIn post that his dismissal stemmed from sharing a portion of a post by CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Workplace, Meta's internal work platform. The post, dated January 14, addressed the company’s plans to tighten performance reviews.
"It is important to note that this information had been leaked to Business Insider and The Verge by someone (not me)," Berton wrote. He emphasized that he did not leak the information to the media but admitted to forwarding it to his wife, an action that ultimately cost him his job.
Berton also pointed out what he saw as inconsistencies in Meta's enforcement of its policies. "If she had read the post over my shoulder or if she took a photo of the post with her cellphone, I would not be writing this. If I took my laptop to a reporter and let them take a photo of the post, I would not be writing this," he wrote, questioning the fairness of his termination.
Fired Right Before Receiving a Bonus
Berton’s termination occurred just a day before he was set to receive a performance-based bonus. "I had just received an 'Exceeds Expectations' rating for the prior year. Coincidentally, my termination date is the day before I was to receive a bonus for my outstanding performance," he stated.Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads
He further mentioned that the company took months to act on his so-called violation. "The 'violation' took place on Jan 14th, the firing happened yesterday so it took a few months for it to happen," he wrote.
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Similar Incidents With Other Employees
Berton claimed that he was not alone in facing such treatment. "I am also hearing stories of people who copy and pasted the text of this post into their own Notes apps on their own laptops and were fired for it because Apple Notes syncs to iCloud," he wrote.According to Berton, hundreds of Meta employees have faced similar dismissals simply for discussing work-related stress with their partners.
Meta has not publicly responded to Berton’s claims. However, the company has previously reiterated its strict stance on internal information leaks. A Meta spokesperson had told The Verge, "We provide regular reminders that leaking internal information, regardless of the intention, goes against our policies... We take this matter seriously and will continue to take action as we identify leaks."
Berton is now looking for new job opportunities and has left a message for his former colleagues. "To those who avoided this witch hunt, I will miss you and I hope you create amazing products," he wrote.
