What's happened
Meta's CEO Adam Mosseri announced a return-to-office policy requiring employees with desks in US offices to work five days a week starting February 2, 2026. The company will cancel recurring meetings every six months to improve productivity, reflecting a broader trend among tech giants to streamline work culture amid rising efficiency concerns.
What's behind the headline?
Meta's policy reflects a decisive push to reshape workplace culture in response to mounting frustrations with ineffective meetings and sluggish processes. By mandating five days in the office for US desk employees and eliminating recurring meetings every six months, Meta aims to boost creativity and focus on product development. This approach echoes broader industry trends, with CEOs like Jamie Dimon and Amazon's Andy Jassy advocating for fewer meetings and more streamlined operations. The emphasis on in-person collaboration suggests a belief that physical presence enhances innovation, despite the rise of asynchronous work tools. However, this shift risks alienating remote workers and could face resistance if not managed carefully. The move signals a future where efficiency and speed are prioritized, potentially setting a new standard for tech workplace culture.
What the papers say
Business Insider UK reports that Meta's memo emphasizes making work more nimble and creative, with a focus on reducing ineffective meetings and encouraging prototypes over slide decks. The article highlights that this is part of a broader industry trend, with other tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft also adjusting their in-office policies. The NY Post notes that Mosseri's mandate applies specifically to US employees with desks, while remote workers retain flexibility. Both sources underscore that the push for in-person work is driven by a desire to foster collaboration and innovation, especially as competition intensifies. The articles contrast Meta's structured approach with other companies' more experimental strategies, such as Shopify's dollar-tracking meetings or Salesforce's no-meetings weeks, illustrating a spectrum of responses to the productivity challenge.
How we got here
Following the pandemic, many companies increased meeting frequency and remote work, leading to concerns over productivity and bureaucratic sluggishness. Meta's move aligns with a wider industry shift, as leaders seek to foster more nimble, efficient workplaces. This includes efforts to reduce unnecessary meetings and encourage in-person collaboration, especially in competitive tech sectors.
Go deeper
More on these topics
-
Instagram is an American photo and video sharing social networking service owned by Facebook, created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and originally launched on iOS in October 2010.
-
Adam Mosseri (Hebrew: אדם מוסרי; born January 23, 1983) is an American businessman and the head of Instagram. He formerly was an executive at Facebook, which owns Instagram.