Facebook confirmed reports that one of their employees died after apparently committing suicide at Facebook’s California headquarters Thursday.
Menlo Park Police responded at about 11:30 a.m. to calls that the unnamed man had jumped from the fourth floor of the building in the 100 block of Jefferson Drive. Attempts to revive the man failed, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
A preliminary investigation determined there was no foul play in the incident, the police said.
“We were saddened to learn that one of our employees passed away at our Menlo Park headquarters earlier today,” a Facebook spokeswoman said. “We’re cooperating with police in their investigation and providing support to employees. While the family is being notified, we have no information to share. We hope to provide an update when we learn additional information from law enforcement.”
Current and former contract workers for Facebook’s moderation centers in Berlin recently spoke to the Guardian about the mental health troubles they have seen in themselves and their colleagues. The moderators claimed their low-paying job requires them to sift through graphic, depraved content for hours every day, which has led some to become “addicted” to hardcore pornography.
“You understand something more about this sort of dystopic society we are building every day,” one moderator said.
