Accenture, a company that oversees teams of Facebook moderators and other contractors, told workers that their work for Facebook would “soon be taken away.”

While the reason for the cuts remains unclear, workers were informed during a hastily arranged video call that the contractors had been selected “at random” by an algorithm.

However, an unnamed Accenture representative who announced the new development to contractors is said to have told affected workers they could reapply and interview for new roles within the company.

The decision to layoff contract workers comes amid a series of challenges that have led to falling revenues for the company.

Meta generated huge revenue during the pandemic, as many advertisers were forced to promote their wares on social media in order to reach customers.

Persistent inflation has forced many advertisers to cut back on ad spending, and as ad revenue remains Meta’s largest source of revenue, the company has seen a massive drop.

Apple’s privacy policies have also affected Meta, preventing the company from using its customers’ data for targeted advertising.

The sources for this piece include an article in Engadget.