Meta Fires Staff for ‘Using Free Meal Vouchers to Buy Household Goods’
17th October 2024
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has reportedly fired about 24 staff at its Los Angeles offices for using their $25 (£19) meal credits to buy items such as toothpaste, laundry detergent and wine glasses.
The tech firm, which is worth £1.2tn and also owns the messaging platform WhatsApp, is said to have dismissed workers last week after an investigation discovered staff had been abusing the system, including sending food home when they were not in the office.
That included one unnamed worker on a $400,000 salary, who said they had used their meal credits to buy household goods and groceries such as toothpaste and tea.
And this is exactly what will happen to recipients of Universal Basic Income if they spend it on not-government-approved stuff. He who pays the piper calls the tune. (Markets work even when you don’t want them to.)