The New Era of “Impact”: Why Meta is Overhauling Performance Reviews and Following the Amazon Playbook
If you work in tech, you know the performance review process can sometimes feel like a nebulous cloud of self-assessment and managerial discretion. But for employees at Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, that era of ambiguity is officially coming to a close. The social media giant is rolling out a sweeping overhaul of its performance evaluation system, shifting the focus from simply putting in the hours—or ‘effort’—to delivering cold, hard ‘output.’
This move is more than just a tweak; it’s a structural change that signals a tightening of the reins across Silicon Valley, drawing clear inspiration from the famously rigorous cultures at companies like Amazon and the newly focused X.
Introducing ‘Checkpoint’ and the Pursuit of ‘Oversized Impact’
Dubbed ‘Checkpoint,’ the new system, which is expected to take full effect by mid-2026, streamlines a complex evaluation process into four simple tiers. The goal, according to internal memos, is to create a more straightforward feedback structure that directly ties compensation to measurable business outcomes.
The new ratings are built around impact. The largest group, an anticipated 70% of the workforce, is expected to fall into the ‘Excellent’ category, which Meta describes as the “high culture performance baseline.” These employees will receive a 115% multiplier on their base bonus.
But the real prizes are reserved for the top performers. The ‘Outstanding’ employees, estimated to be about 20% of the staff, are those who deliver an “outsized impact” and will be rewarded with a 200% bonus multiplier. For a select few who achieve a “truly exceptional impact,” a special ‘Meta Award’ offers a staggering 300% individual bonus multiplier.
On the flip side, the new system institutionalizes performance management to accelerate the removal of underperformers. About 7% are expected to land in the ‘Needs Improvement’ category, and 3% will be rated ‘Not Meeting Expectations,’ receiving a 0% bonus multiplier.
Following the Industry Trendsetters
This aggressive push toward accountability isn’t happening in a vacuum. It mirrors the ‘Year of Efficiency’ mindset championed by CEO Mark Zuckerberg following previous rounds of major layoffs.
Amazon’s corporate review system, known as Forte, has long been a benchmark for this type of results-driven culture, maintaining a controversial form of stack-ranking. Just recently, Amazon also updated its system to explicitly require corporate employees to submit three to five specific “accomplishments” that demonstrate tangible results from their work, a clear demand for documented output.
Similarly, following Elon Musk’s takeover of X, he quickly implemented a requirement for employees to provide weekly accomplishment reports, enforcing a strict focus on tangible delivery over mere activity.
The AI-Driven Bottom Line
Beyond traditional metrics, Meta’s new system incorporates a significant nod to its future strategy: ‘AI-driven impact’ will be a core expectation starting in 2026. This means employees will be assessed on how effectively they use artificial intelligence to enhance their own productivity and build new, impactful tools for the company. It ties the individual performance of nearly every role to the company’s massive decade-long initiative to scale up its AI infrastructure.
For Meta employees, the message is loud and clear: in the new, leaner era of big tech, showing up isn’t enough. Only measurable results and undeniable impact will determine where you land on the compensation scale.