Receiving an offer from Meta only to read about a 20% workforce reduction weeks before your start date is a jarring experience. We think the best response is to proceed as if you are already an employee while quietly preparing as if you are not.
The practical reality is that your offer letter is a contract, and Meta has a legal and reputational interest in honoring the commitments it has made to incoming new graduates. Large-scale layoffs rarely target people who have not yet started, because the administrative and cultural cost of rescinding offers for an entire cohort is steep. More likely, the company will honor your start date and then assess performance during your first year, as it does with every new hire. That said, you should still dust off your resume and begin a low-key job search. Not because your Meta offer is doomed, but because the anxiety of uncertainty is corrosive to good decision-making. Having a backup plan lets you focus on your work rather than on worst-case scenarios.
What this situation reveals is a broader truth about data science as a profession. The field is still young, and its roles are often the first to be reorganized when a company pivots. Meta's cuts are not a judgment on your qualifications. They are a reflection of how quickly priorities shift in large tech organizations. The smartest move you can make right now is to treat your upcoming role as a learning opportunity rather than a permanent destination. Absorb everything you can about the tools, the data infrastructure, and the decision-making culture. Those skills will travel with you regardless of where you end up next.
So here is our concrete advice: accept the offer, show up on day one with curiosity and humility, and quietly build a network outside Meta in the meantime. Update your GitHub, maintain a few recruiter conversations, and keep a small emergency fund. If the job holds, you will have gained invaluable experience. If it does not, you will have a running start on the next opportunity. Either way, the power is in your preparation, not in the name on your badge.