Meta Platforms Inc. will begin cutting approximately 8,000 jobs, or about 10% of its global workforce, on May 20 as the company accelerates its shift toward artificial intelligence.
The social media giant, which employed nearly 79,000 people as of December 31, is also scrapping plans to fill about 6,000 open roles, according to an internal memo reported Thursday, reported Bloomberg. Additional layoffs are expected later in 2026, though details remain unsettled.
The move marks the largest single wave of cuts since Meta’s “year of efficiency” restructuring in 2022-2023, when it eliminated roughly 21,000 positions, reported Reuters. This time, the company is in a stronger financial position, reporting more than $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year.
According to sources familiar with the plans, the layoffs aim to improve operational efficiency and redirect resources toward AI infrastructure. Meta has projected capital expenditures of $115 billion to $135 billion in 2026, much of it tied to AI data centers and model development, CNBC.
First reported by Bloomberg, Meta’s chief people officer, Janelle Gale, addressed the cuts directly. “We’re doing this as part of our continued effort to run the company more efficiently and to allow us to offset the other investments we’re making,” Gale said. “This is not an easy trade-off and it will mean letting go of people who have made meaningful contributions to Meta during their time here.”
The restructuring follows smaller rounds earlier this year. In January, Meta cut about 10% of its Reality Labs division, which focuses on virtual and augmented reality, The New York Times reported. Additional targeted reductions of several hundred positions occurred in March across units, including Facebook, global operations, and sales.
Executives have reorganized teams and moved engineers into a new Applied AI organization focused on building autonomous AI agents that can write code and perform complex tasks. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has described 2026 as the year AI will “dramatically change the way that we work,” with projects once requiring large teams now handled by fewer individuals using AI tools.
The changes reflect a broader trend across the tech industry. Companies are trimming staff while ramping up AI spending to boost productivity. Amazon recently announced plans to cut thousands of corporate roles, and Microsoft offered voluntary retirement packages to some U.S. employees. Layoffs.fyi has tracked more than 73,000 tech job losses globally so far in 2026.
Meta’s shares fell about 2.4% on Thursday following the reports, but remain roughly flat for the year.
Severance packages for affected U.S. employees are expected to follow patterns from prior rounds, though details vary by location. International packages will differ by country.
