Meta layoffs: Tech giant says it will cut about 8,000 jobs as it pours money into AI

Meta plans to cut 10% of its global workforce, or roughly 8,000 employees, in a new round of layoffs as the Silicon Valley tech giant moves deeper into artificial intelligence and pulls back on hiring.

The layoffs are set to begin May 20, according to an internal memo obtained by Bloomberg.

The Menlo Park company, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, also plans to stop hiring for 6,000 open roles it had intended to fill, according to the report.

Meta employed nearly 79,000 people as of Dec. 31, according to its latest regulatory filing.

"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," Janelle Gale, Meta's chief people officer, said in the memo. "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 move marks Meta's biggest planned round of layoffs since making sweeping cuts in 2022 and 2023, when Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg slashed about 21,000 jobs during what he called the company's "year of efficiency." Since then, Meta has remained profitable even as it has sharply increased spending on data centers, chips and other infrastructure needed to compete in AI.

Meta reported more than $200 billion in revenue last year, up 22% from the year before, and posted $60 billion in profit, even as it poured money into artificial intelligence.

The company said in January that it expected 2026 expenses of $115 billion to $135 billion as it invests heavily in AI.

Meta has already trimmed parts of its workforce this year.

Bloomberg reported in March that the company was cutting several hundred jobs in sales, recruiting and Reality Labs as part of a restructuring tied to its AI push.

The company has already been trimming jobs in the Bay Area this year.

This month, the Chronicle reported that Meta planned to cut nearly 200 jobs in Burlingame and Sunnyvale, based on filings with California's Employment Development Department.

"Teams across Meta regularly restructure or implement changes to ensure they're in the best position to achieve their goals," a company spokesperson said in a previous statement. "Where possible, we are finding other opportunities for employees whose positions may be impacted."

Meta is scheduled to report first-quarter earnings next week.

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