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- Meta preparing extensive layoffs, potentially affecting 16,000 employees by 2026.
- First phase of job cuts expected May 20, impacting around 8,000 workers.
- Restructuring aligns with Meta’s intensified focus on artificial intelligence investments.
Meta Platforms is preparing for a sweeping round of layoffs that could impact up to 16,000 employees in the coming months of 2026, according to a Reuters report citing people familiar with the matter.
The first phase is expected to begin on May 20, affecting around 8,000 workers.
Initial Cuts To Impact 10% Workforce
The planned layoffs are expected to affect roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s global workforce in the initial phase alone. While the company has not officially confirmed the full scale, sources indicated that further job reductions later in 2026 could bring the total number of affected employees to around 16,000.
Executives are still finalising details of the cuts, with decisions likely to be based on productivity and employees’ alignment with AI-driven work.
AI Focus Drives Restructuring
The move comes as Meta intensifies its focus on artificial intelligence. Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly outlined the company’s ambition to lead in AI, spanning generative tools and infrastructure for large-scale machine learning.
To support this shift, Meta is planning capital expenditure of around $135 billion this year, much of it directed towards AI investments, including data centres, chips and software development.
Echoes Of Past Job Cuts
The proposed layoffs would add to earlier rounds of job cuts at Meta in 2022 and 2023, when the company reduced its workforce by approximately 21,000 employees.
That phase, described by Zuckerberg as the “year of efficiency,” involved streamlining operations, reducing management layers and tightening financial discipline amid slowing growth and overexpansion during the pandemic.
Lean Structure, AI-Led Operations
The upcoming restructuring is part of a broader effort to build a leaner organisation with fewer layers of management and greater reliance on AI-driven processes.
Meta has already begun reorganising teams internally, with engineers being reassigned to AI-focused projects, including developing systems capable of writing code and handling complex tasks. New units have also been created to accelerate AI product development.
Industry-Wide Trend Of AI-Led Cuts
Meta’s move reflects a wider trend across the technology sector, where companies are reducing workforce sizes while ramping up investment in AI.
Amazon has reportedly cut around 30,000 corporate roles in recent months, nearly 10 per cent of its white-collar workforce. Fintech firm Block has also reduced its workforce, citing efficiency gains driven by AI.
Data from Layoffs.fyi indicates that more than 73,000 tech employees have been laid off globally so far this year across 95 companies.
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