Meta fires 24 employees for misusing $25 in meal credits for toothpaste and laundry detergent

Meta Platforms, Inc, an American multinational technology corporation that owns and operates Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp, has reportedly fired 24 employees at its Los Angeles offices because they used their $25 meal credit to purchase Items such as toothpaste, detergent and wine had been used glasses, according to The Guardian.

The company, which employs more than 70,000 people, fired employees last week after an investigation found they were abusing the system, including sending meals home when they were out of the office the news site. An unnamed worker earning $400,000 (£308,070) said he spent his meal allowance on household goods and groceries such as toothpaste and tea.

“On days when I didn't eat at the office, like when my husband was cooking or when I was having dinner with friends, I thought I shouldn't waste the meal credit,” the employee wrote on Blind, an anonymous messaging platform.

According to the Financial Times, The company that first reported the story admitted the violation when approached as part of a human resources investigation into the practice and was later fired. “It was almost surreal for this to happen,” the person wrote.

Free food has always been one of the perks of working for a large IT company. Meta is ranked 91st on Forbes' list of the world's best employers (2024).

The company was founded on February 4, 2004 by Mark Elliot Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris R. Hughes, Andrew McCollum and Eduardo P. Saverin and is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.