Meta Platforms Inc said on Wednesday (Feb 15) it had increased the security allowance given to chief executive and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and his family by US$4 million to US$14 million.

"This increased allowance, together with the costs of Zuckerberg's existing overall security program, are appropriate and necessary under the circumstances," Meta said in a filing.

The move comes at a time when the owner of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram has cut thousands of jobs and slashed spending plans for a period that Zuckerberg has called the "Year of Efficiency".

The 38-year-old, who ranks as the 16th richest person in the Forbes billionaire list, earned a compensation of about US$27 million in 2021. Meta is yet to disclose his pay package for last year.

The Financial Times reported last week that Meta had delayed finalising the budgets of multiple teams as it was preparing for a fresh round of job cuts.

  - Reuters