Meta to give 300% bonus to top performers who deliver 'truly exceptional impact': Report

The restructure follows CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s warning that 2025 would be an “intense” year, with tighter performance management and cuts affecting about 5 percent of low performers. (Image credit: AFP)

Meta is overhauling its performance review system and has decided to dangle a massive incentive for its top talent: a bonus of up to 300 percent of base pay for employees who deliver “truly exceptional impact,” according to an internal memo seen by Business Insider.

The new programme, called Checkpoint, will launch mid-2026 and aims to streamline evaluations while rewarding results. Under the redesigned structure, apart from the top performers, employees who receive an 'outstanding' rating will get a 200 percent bonus on their base pay, and those rated 'excellent' will get a 115 percent bonus. For employees who need improvement, the bonus will be at 50 percent, and there will be no incentive for those who do not meet expectations, the Meta memo stated.

The standout feature is the Meta Award, granting a 300 percent bonus multiplier to a select few employees who achieve exceptional outcomes. “We’re evolving our performance programme to simplify it and place greater emphasis on rewarding outstanding performance,” Business Insider quoted a Meta spokesperson as saying

The memo notes that most employees will fall under “Excellent,” while the top tier will be reserved for rare, high-impact contributions. The overhaul also seeks to cut bureaucracy: managers spend 80 hours annually on reviews, and employees collectively log 3.3 lakh hours on peer feedback—yet fewer than 25 percent of managers find that feedback useful.

The new updates apply to the employees' performance in 2026 and would not affect the current cycle, the memo noted.

Meta plans to host a company-wide meeting on January 22 to explain the changes to the employees and answer queries.

The restructure follows CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s warning that 2025 would be an “intense” year, with tighter performance management and cuts affecting about 5 percent of low performers.

Last February, Meta hiked bonuses for executives from 75 percent to 200 percent after laying off 3,600 employees.