Meta Blacklist Ex-Employees

Meta, the tech giant behind Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and other platforms, has recently found itself at the center of controversy—not only for CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s shift in support toward President Donald Trump and certain MAGA ideals, but also for its aggressive purge of alleged underperforming employees this past January.

Many of these individuals, according to a recent report, have unknowingly been added to Meta’s unofficial "no-rehire" list.

The revelation that the company effectively blacklists former employees—some with strong track records—adds to Zuckerberg’s increasingly negative reputation, casting him less as the once-visionary tech mogul and more as a harsh Silicon Valley figure.

The report highlights how even former employees, re-recruited by current executives for key roles, are blocked due to this controversial practice.

Ex-Meta Staffs With Stellar Reviews Blacklisted

A prime example of Meta's controversial no-rehire list is a senior engineer who became a casualty of the company’s 2022 layoff, part of the larger reduction of 35,600 jobs since 2020.

Despite receiving glowing reviews during his four-year tenure, the engineer’s applications for over 20 positions within Meta were abruptly rejected, even after initial enthusiastic responses from recruiters and hiring managers.

When he inquired about the sudden change in attitude, he was informed that Meta had marked him as “ineligible for rehire” due to being placed on the company’s blacklist of former employees.

Business Insider (BI) reported that:

“(F)ormer employees and managers confirmed that Meta uses multiple systems to track rehire ineligibility, including a ‘non-regrettable attrition” designation and a “do not rehire” flag, though the exact mechanisms and number of affected employees remain unclear. Interviews with five former employees across different divisions, along with internal emails and messages viewed by BI, revealed multiple instances of workers who were laid off and discovered they were barred from rejoining Meta after applying for new positions at the company despite good performance records in their previous stints.”

The revelation of this blacklisting system, while not unique to Meta, has drawn significant attention due to its widespread impact within the company.

This disclosure comes on the heels of Zuckerberg's January announcement about the layoffs, where he referred to the 3,600 employees let go as "low performers."

In his statements, Zuckerberg also expressed a desire to shift Meta’s culture, emphasizing a new direction that celebrates “aggression” and “masculine energy,” a stance that resonates with his previous MAGA-style rhetoric.

Now, the world sees how that aggressive mindset was directed at ex-employees through a covert no-hire list, adding another layer to the company's increasingly harsh image.

Ex Staff Blacklisted for Personal Reasons Instead

Many former Meta employees were shocked to discover they had been placed on the company’s no-rehire list, despite having received positive reviews and maintaining strong work relationships.

Some admitted that this type of corporate behaviour was one of the reasons they had been hesitant to reapply in the first place.

The senior engineer said:

“It’s the worst company I’ve ever worked for. But they also pay the best. If I could get in there for a couple more years and make bank, I would do it.”

Meta’s no-rehire list effectively renders that option impossible.

Company representatives explained that the system for maintaining the list automatically places many departing employees on it during exit processing.

However, some executives acknowledged that the usual practice of listing employees based on legitimate work-related issues or rule violations was often disregarded.

In some cases, managers had blacklisted employees for personal reasons, including simple disliking.

While the existence of such a blacklist may seem petty, vindictive, and potentially damaging to careers, it is not illegal.

For the system to violate anti-discrimination laws, it would need to specifically target protected categories of employees.

Interestingly, while the routine use of no-rehire lists may seem unique to Meta, anecdotal evidence suggests that this practice is more widespread than commonly believed.

Laszlo Bock, former head of people operations at Google, acknowledged that while such lists are "very, very rare," they do exist in certain cases.

Meta Not the Only Company Who Blacklists Former Staff

Redditors in the r/technology subreddit reacted with indifference to the revelation about Meta’s no-rehire list, with many claiming to have faced similar blacklisting experiences from past employers.

Some shared that they were explicitly warned about the ban when leaving, citing companies ranging from a major home improvement chain to large distributors.

Other users argued that this practice may be more widespread than it appears.

Redditor TheElusiveFox wrote:

“Lots of companies have ‘do not hire lists.’ How useful they are is different from company to company, but they are kind of necessary, especially in large companies.”

Travelerdude concurred:

“I worked for Cisco and they don’t rehire employees no matter how good they are or if they left on their own accord or were let go. Usually when they’re let go it is the bottom 5% attrition policy so then why would they rehire.”

One commenter, PalebloodPervert, expanded the list of companies allegedly maintaining such blacklists:

“Guess who else. Amazon, Google, Microsoft, etc.”

Meta neither confirmed nor denied the existence of the list but rejected the notion that ex-employees were arbitrarily added due to personal vendettas from managers.

Meta said in a statement:

“There are clear criteria for when someone is marked ineligible for rehire that are applied to all departing employees and there are checks and balances in the process so that a single manager cannot unilaterally tag someone ineligible without support. We determine, at the time of separation, the reason for the employee’s departure – policy violation, performance termination, voluntary resignation, etc. – and that, along with the last rating prior to separation and any other recent performance signals, determines whether an employee is eligible for rehire or not.”

While responses on social media suggested that Meta is not alone in using such lists, the consensus was clear: the practice is widely regarded as disloyal, underhanded, and vindictive.

For this reason, business leaders should carefully reconsider the use of no-rehire lists, weighing the potential long-term risks to their reputation among current and future employees.