Rule number one when you get fired is don't sign anything on your way out the door. Crazy that a Facebook exec wouldn't be aware of that advice or ignored it.

I got offered a small severance after a recent layoff. Severance agreement contained a non-disparagement clause. I didn't sign. You don't get corporate goons coming to your house to threaten you if you don't sign your severance/termination agreement.

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loeg 9 hours ago | parent | next [-]

You don't face the consequences of violating a non-disparagement agreement if you don't violate said agreement (for example, by writing a disparaging book). It is pretty easy to avoid for most former employees. Of course, you can do the analysis for yourself on whether the offered severance money is worth it.

	▲	KaiserPro 8 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> pretty easy to avoid for most former employees. Actually its not. its just facebook doesn't enforce it. There is a difference between leaving voluntarily, and being given n months wage. The agreement _must_ be kept secret from everyone apart from your designated spouse and legal representative. The only thing you are allowed to talk about in relation to meta is that you worked for them, and the dates. You cannot, using any written or recorded medium give an opinion about meta, its products, employees past and present, positive or otherwise, without prior written agreement. In return facebook promises not to disparage you, and pays a peppercorn to guarantee that. the only difference between the pleb agreements and hers is that pleb agreements are only liable for the money that they paid you, (ie 3-9 months wage, but that could also be country agreement) So everyone of those 40k employees that have been fired in the last 2 years will have been "offered" one of those contracts.

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skeeter2020 9 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

This is much easier said than done. What if her severance was significant? What if she needed it to survive? Meta's line is she was fired for "poor performance and toxic behavior" and a non-disparagement clause often cuts both ways; now instead of saying "she worked her from <start date> to <end date> this was her job title" they can publicly disclose she was let go for serious job failures. It doesn't matter if this is true, good luck getting a new job.

	▲	subroutine 9 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		If the severance is significant, it's because they are making a deal with you, not because they are being nice. Option 1: take the severance package/non-disparagement agreement and decline the $500k book deal focused on disparaging facebook Option 2: decline the severance and take the $500k book deal.
	▲	9 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
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