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Fresh rounds of layoffs at Meta have once again triggered discussions around workplace culture in the tech industry. This time, however, attention has shifted beyond the layoffs themselves after a former employee shared an emotional post describing feelings of exclusion inside the company.
According to Bernier, certain teams within the company were largely dominated by Chinese employees, and he claimed that non-Chinese workers sometimes felt socially and professionally isolated.
“The most blatant and obvious way that non-Chinese are excluded is that Chinese primarily speak Mandarin at work. I'm not talking about one-off conversations, I'm talking about every single conversation. Loudly and brazenly with no respect for others. 10+ teammates and leaders having a group conversation in Mandarin while the 2 non-Chinese don't understand and feel excluded from the team.”
He further added that although English was generally spoken during official meetings, conversations often switched back to Mandarin immediately afterward.
“Although everyone at least has the decency to speak English during formal meetings with a non-speaker present, it was common that right after the meeting ended everyone would immediately switch to Mandarin.”
He said people there continued speaking English around him so that he would not feel excluded from conversations. According to him, he did not experience a similar effort in parts of his workplace environment at Meta.
Bernier additionally recalled a team dinner at a Korean barbecue restaurant where he felt some senior employees intentionally distanced themselves from non-Chinese coworkers.
He mentioned having close Chinese friends and said many of his former colleagues were kind and supportive individuals.
[With TOI inputs]
Disclaimer: This article is based on a user-generated post on X. ET.com has not independently verified the claims made in the post and does not vouch for their accuracy. The views expressed are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of ET.com. Reader discretion is advised.
Engineer Claims Non-Chinese Employees Felt Isolated
Jeremy Bernier, who said he was among the employees affected by Meta’s recent layoffs, opened up about his experience in a detailed post shared on X.According to Bernier, certain teams within the company were largely dominated by Chinese employees, and he claimed that non-Chinese workers sometimes felt socially and professionally isolated.
“The most blatant and obvious way that non-Chinese are excluded is that Chinese primarily speak Mandarin at work. I'm not talking about one-off conversations, I'm talking about every single conversation. Loudly and brazenly with no respect for others. 10+ teammates and leaders having a group conversation in Mandarin while the 2 non-Chinese don't understand and feel excluded from the team.”
He further added that although English was generally spoken during official meetings, conversations often switched back to Mandarin immediately afterward.
“Although everyone at least has the decency to speak English during formal meetings with a non-speaker present, it was common that right after the meeting ended everyone would immediately switch to Mandarin.”
Comparison With South Korea Experience
To explain why the situation affected him deeply, Bernier compared the experience to a recent visit to South Korea.He said people there continued speaking English around him so that he would not feel excluded from conversations. According to him, he did not experience a similar effort in parts of his workplace environment at Meta.
Claims of Social Exclusion During Team Activities
The former engineer also described feeling socially isolated during team lunches and dinners. He alleged that there were occasions when he and another non-Chinese colleague were left out while the rest of the team went out together for meals.Bernier additionally recalled a team dinner at a Korean barbecue restaurant where he felt some senior employees intentionally distanced themselves from non-Chinese coworkers.
Clarifies He Is Not Targeting Chinese Community
Despite criticising his workplace experience, Bernier repeatedly clarified that he was not attacking Chinese people as a community.He mentioned having close Chinese friends and said many of his former colleagues were kind and supportive individuals.
[With TOI inputs]
Disclaimer: This article is based on a user-generated post on X. ET.com has not independently verified the claims made in the post and does not vouch for their accuracy. The views expressed are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of ET.com. Reader discretion is advised.
