Meta's Morale Crater Hits Rock Bottom, X Recruits Engineers With Snack Budget Flex 🍿

X head of product Nikita Bier launched a public recruitment pitch on June 18, 2026 aimed directly at Meta employees, pledging that X would "match or even exceed any snack budget offer" for web and data engineers and data scientists he described as "neglected." The pitch came as Meta faces what CTO Andrew Bosworth described on an internal call as employee morale near its worst level ever, according to reports. Bier's post read: "Neglected Meta employees: X is hiring web and data engineers & scientists. We will match or even exceed any snack budget offer."

The morale crisis at Meta stems from a turbulent 2026 restructuring. In May 2026, Meta conducted layoffs affecting 8,000 jobs, representing roughly 10% of its workforce in a single round. The company also reassigned approximately 7,000 workers into AI-focused units, including the Applied AI division formed in March, which absorbed around 6,500 engineers and product managers with limited input from those transferred. Workers on internal forums have characterized the culture as "dead and depressing," with some comparing the Applied AI transition to a labor camp.

The broader tech industry is absorbing the shockwaves. Prediction market Polymarket lists 2026 tech layoff odds at 67%, with Meta's situation among the factors traders cite. Meta's response included expanding snack and perk budgets to counter collapsing morale, a move Bier directly leveraged in his X hiring campaign.

Bier has a track record of engaging publicly with Meta-related controversies. He previously defended Mark Zuckerberg after backlash over a whistleblower documentary trailer. His latest message positions X to capitalize on Meta's workforce frustrations while sidestepping salary competition entirely, focusing instead on a perk category Meta itself identified as critical to retention.