The year of Meta then So far, it hasn’t exactly been a picnic. But that didn’t stop a nut-loving creature from seeking a little joy in one of the the company offices this week.
A squirrel has apparently gotten loose inside a building in Bangkok, Thailand, where some of the tech giant’s regional teams are based. The creature spent at least 20 minutes overtaking staff, according to an internal memo seen by WIRED. He noted that the squirrel slightly injured a janitor before finally being caught.
The rodent’s adventure in the office, while potentially terrifying for some, brought a moment of levity to Meta staff around the world, discouraged by recent restructuring, massive layoffsand the launch of an initiative to train AI from employee data without their initial consent. The leaders of Meta have recognized the current morale crisis and began trying to boost internal morale by funding boozy social outings and promising to improve office food, according to current employees and an internal memo.
In recent years, some Meta employees have complained about no longer having access to healthy snacks in the office, like nuts, which they say have been replaced by less nutritious options like chips. It’s unclear whether the Bangkok animal marauder found anything to his liking.
The squirrel was delivered to the office in a package, but eventually escaped, according to the internal memo. A janitor from a cleaning company accepted the delivery. The reason behind the squirrel’s birth and where it currently resides was not mentioned in the note, but some people keep the animals as pets or eat their meat.
Meta declined to comment on the incident.
The injured worker, who had a scratch on his finger, received first aid and was later transported to a hospital for a medical examination, according to the memo. The janitor “responsible for bringing the animal to the premises” officially acknowledged their misconduct and pledged to follow office regulations to ensure that “such an incident does not recur,” the memo added.
New York Times reporter Mike Isaac first reported the incident in a post on social media Tuesday, without specifying the location or the role of the concierge. “As expected, employees are having a field day internally,” he wrote. “One person created an AI-generated video mimicking an HR training course on squirrel-related office best practices.”
Squirrels looking for a suitable home in Meta’s empire might have better luck invading Hawaiiwhere CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s personal cattle dinner Home brewed beer and macadamia nuts.
Additional reporting by Lauren Goode.