• Meta has been withdrawing internship offers from London-based recruits.
• The company has scrapped plans to run its full internship program in the UK this year.
• Some Meta hopefuls accepted job offers months ago and are being forced to make other plans. 

Meta has been withdrawing internship offers from London-based recruits as it forges ahead with a “company-wide hiring shift.”

The company confirmed to Insider that it did not intend to run its full internship program in the UK this year.

Some Meta hopefuls had accepted internship offers months ago and have had to change their plans. Yure Pablo, who was due to start at Meta in January 2023, took to LinkedIn to announce the news. 

“I changed plans and discarded another offer for 2023 due to this offer,” Pablo wrote in a post. “It’s not only a job, it’s a lifetime opportunity that you work hard for.”

A Meta spokesperson told Insider: “Meta interns are crucial in shaping our future. This difficult decision was not made lightly. This company-wide hiring shift is to ensure that our hiring targets are aligned with our highest-priority efforts and business needs.” 

Meta has been battling a challenging macroeconomic environment that has led to a wave of layoffs and hiring freezes at other tech companies.

Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, told investors in July that the company planned to reduce headcount growth and shrink teams. Last month, Zuckerberg reportedly told staff the company was freezing hiring and warned of restructuring and downsizing.

Insider’s Kali Hays reported that Meta was also conducting “quiet layoffs” by urging managers to label employees as underperforming. Several employees told Insider that they expect the layoffs could affect as much as 15% of the company’s workforce.