Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company should run like a well-oiled machine during what he declared a “year of efficiency.” But this does not apply to all employees, because some of them will be dismissed.

In a letter sent to Meta employees and published on the company’s blog on Tuesday, Zuckerberg said the company plans to lay off about 10,000 more people. In addition, the company will close 5,000 open vacancies that have not yet been filled. The letter didn’t mention which teams could be most affected, though it said news of layoffs for Meta’s “technology groups” would come in late April, while business employees should expect layoffs in late May. There may be more cuts before the end of the year.

“This will be tough and there’s no way around that,” Zuckerberg wrote. “It will mean saying goodbye to talented and passionate colleagues who have been part of our success. They’ve dedicated themselves to our mission and I’m personally grateful for all their efforts.”

This letter confirms previous reports that Meta planned to announce more layoffs before Zuckerberg goes on leave to care for his third child.

Last year Meta cut 11 thousand workers. Obviously, smaller teams cost the company less, but Zuckerberg also claimed that employees are “more productive” when there’s less staff.

It is reported that the company’s middle managers are also under pressure, they are required to do more routine work — Zuckerberg mentioned this the so-called “flattening” in his letter to employees.

Zuckerberg has promised to end the hiring freeze once those layoffs are finalized. The goal, he said, is to create a “leaner and more technical company” that will focus on business tools, artificial intelligence and the metaverse. The social networking apps that were once its core business are barely mentioned.