Meta's "Grubhubgate" speaks to a bigger culture shift in Silicon Valley — and a festering distrust between employers and employees.
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The Lede
For more than a decade, Big Tech companies doled out lavish perks to hire and retain a limited supply of technical talent — and some workers pushed the limits of these benefits. "Grubgate," in which Meta fired staff for misusing meal vouchers, shows how ingrained perks-grifting has become in Silicon Valley — but the era of pampered tech employees may be ending.
Key Details
- Cost-cutting, huge layoffs and the use of AI have put tech employers in a more powerful position. Hiring has also slowed, with tech job postings about 30 percent below pre-pandemic levels.
- Some say that all this pampering led to a growing sense of entitlement among tech employees, who thought they could push the limits of what was acceptable when it came to perks.
- "In the 2010 to 2021 days, it was very much like employees were in charge," said a former Instagram staffer. "Then suddenly the tables turned."
