Meta and Google are two of the software-based multinationals with the largest workforces in Ireland. They are both dependent on online advertising, one of the sectors of the digital economy most exposed to the peaks and troughs triggered by Covid-19 and the recent spike in global inflation. And dozens of new company documents have just become available from Irish subsidiaries of both groups, allowing a comparison of their respective fortunes in this volatile environment.  The most immediate difference between Meta and Google is that the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp has announced mass layoffs, while the leading search…