Meta fires staff for ‘using free meal vouchers to buy household goods’

Facebook and Instagram owner reportedly dismisses about 24 workers for abusing $25 meal credit system

A car passes Facebook's Meta logo on a sign at the company headquarters in Menlo Park, California. Meta’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California. Free food has long been one of the perks of working for large tech companies.

Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has reportedly fired about 24 staff at its Los Angeles offices for using their $25 meal credits to buy items such as toothpaste, laundry detergent and wine glasses.

The tech firm, which is worth €1.4tn and also owns WhatsApp, is said to have dismissed workers last week after an investigation discovered staff had been abusing the system, including sending food home when they were not in the office.