Facebook Slams Nairobi-based Hub, Leaves 200 Jobless

More than 200 people will lose their jobs after Facebook shut down its content moderation hub in Nairobi as part of its cost cutting strategy.

Sama, the primary subcontractor for content moderation for Meta in Africa, told the Financial Times it will shut down the Nairobi office as it seeks to consolidate operations.

“The current economic climate requires more efficient and streamlined business operations,” said Sama.

This comes just after another lawsuit demanded that Meta increase its capability for content monitoring in Kenya, and months after Sama and Meta were sued in the East African nation for violating labour laws and exploitation.

Sama announced that 200 employees, or three per cent of its workforce, would be let go as the company shifted its focus from content assessment services to labeling tasks (computer vision data annotation).

A chunk of the employees will be left without work permits as the corporation sourced moderators from all around Africa.

Sama’s moderators had to comb through social media messages on all of its platforms, including Facebook, to delete those that incited and spread hate, false information, and violence.

According to reports, Sama urged affected employees to apply for other positions at its locations in Kenya and Uganda.

Meta laid off over 11,000 employees in early November, reducing its workforce by 13 percent and enacting a hiring freeze through the first quarter of 2023.

The layoffs will mostly come from Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, while the metaverse division will see fewer cuts. Meta had 87,314 employees at the end of September 2022.

This was a 28 percent increase over the prior year.

Until the layoffs, Meta had been on a seemingly endless hiring spree. It went to great lengths to hire top talent and offer unique employment perks, which included 30 days paid leave every five years.

The company is now reducing budgets for employee perks and shedding some of its real estate holdings. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO had been taking steps to slow down spending before the layoffs but ultimately opted to let employees go.

The choice to terminate Meta’s contract, which expires at the end of March, comes months after a lawsuit was filed against the two companies in Kenya by Daniel Motaung, a South African national and former Sama content moderator.