Squirrel on the Loose at Meta Office Sends Worker to Hospital
A squirrel escaped from a package delivered to one of Meta's offices in Bangkok, Thailand, spending at least 20 minutes darting through the building and injuring a worker before it was finally caught, according to an internal company memo obtained by Wired.
The squirrel arrived inside a package accepted by a janitor from an outside cleaning company, according to the memo, though it's unclear who sent the package or why. The animal escaped shortly after and ran loose through the office, which houses some of Meta's regional teams. During the chaos, a worker was scratched on the finger while attempting to catch the squirrel, received first aid on-site and was later taken to a hospital for further examination. The memo noted that the janitor "responsible for bringing the animal onto the premises" formally acknowledged the misconduct and committed to following office regulations to prevent similar incidents in the future. Meta has not commented publicly on the incident.
A Rare Moment of Levity
New York Times reporter Mike Isaac first broke the story on social media, writing that Meta employees were having "a field day with it internally." According to Isaac, one worker created an AI-generated video mimicking an HR training course on "squirrel-related office best practices," while another edited a well-known Facebook safety-check graphic to read "Marked Safe From Meta Squirrel Attack Today."
The lighthearted reaction comes amid a rockier period for Meta's workforce, which has faced a wave of restructuring, layoffs, and internal tension over a company initiative to train AI systems using employee data without requiring their prior consent. Some current employees told Wired that Meta executives, aware of the resulting dip in morale, have recently tried to boost spirits internally by funding social outings and promising improvements to office food.
An Ironic Detail About Office Snacks
The squirrel's brief takeover carried an unintentionally fitting detail: some Meta employees have complained in recent years that healthier office snacks, including nuts, were phased out in favor of less nutritious options like chips. Whether the squirrel found anything to its liking during its short time loose in the office wasn't noted in the memo.
The animal's ultimate fate after being caught was not disclosed.
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