Meta is facing yet another lawsuit, this time for age discrimination.
Layoffs at Meta last year allegedly targeted older workers at higher rates, according to a new lawsuit. Former Meta Senior Director of Monetization Analytics, Nicolas Franchet, who worked at the company for 13 years, claims he was unfairly laid off because of his age.
Franchet was 54 when he was laid off in February 2025. At the time, Meta said it was cutting about 5% of its “lowest performers.”
Now, in a lawsuit filed earlier this month in San Francisco County Superior Court, Franchet claims older workers were the ones hit the hardest.
“Employees 40 and older were 1.5 times as likely to be included in the layoffs than employees under 40, and employees 50 and older were 2.5 times as likely to be terminated than employees under 40,” the lawsuit reads, allegedly citing data provided by the company to laid-off workers.
The case comes as rumors swirl that Meta is preparing for another round of mass layoffs this year that could impact as much as 20% of the company’s workforce. It also follows several lawsuits in recent years accusing Silicon Valley companies of age discrimination.
HP and its spinoff Hewlett Packard Enterprise agreed in 2023 to settle a class-action lawsuit for $18 million that accused the companies of pushing out older workers. In 2019, Google settled a class-action lawsuit for $11 million that alleged the company discriminated against job applicants over 40.
In this latest case, Franchet alleges he was suspiciously labeled a low performer after consistently receiving strong reviews.
In March 2023, he even received a large restricted stock unit award that came with a note from CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
“It’s important to us that you feel invested in Meta and the value that you are helping to create in the world,” the note from Zuckerberg allegedly said. “Selection for this equity award was reserved for a very small number of people and your meaningful impact has been recognized by the highest levels of company leadership.”
Six months before his termination, in August 2024, Franchet received an “At or Above Expectations” performance rating. Just a few months later, Meta introduced a new “lowest performer” category. The lawsuit claims the review process used ahead of the layoffs was less rigorous than usual. During that process, Franchet received a “Met Most Expectations” performance rating and was classified as one of the company’s lowest performers.
Franchet is now seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
He claims he lost roughly $12 million in equity, as most of his restricted stock units were set to vest over the next three years.
Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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