Meta plans 8,000 layoffs starting May 20

Meta Platforms told employees on April 23 that it would cut about 8,000 jobs, or roughly 10% of its workforce, with layoffs set to begin on May 20, according to CNBC. The company also plans to stop hiring for 6,000 open roles, the report said. The cuts come as Meta increases spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure and after the company reported $56.31 billion in first-quarter revenue on April 29. ### When do the layoffs start, and how large are they? May 20 is the start date cited in the employee memo described by CNBC. The report said the first round would affect about 8,000 employees, based on Meta’s year-end workforce of 78,865 people. Meta had said in its annual report that its global headcount stood at 78,865 as of Dec. 31. (cnbc.com) CNBC reported that Bloomberg first described the memo and that Meta framed the cuts as part of a broader push to improve efficiency while increasing its focus on AI. Reuters, as cited by Fox Business, also reported that additional layoffs were planned for the second half of 2026, though the timing and scope were not yet clear. (cnbc.com) ### What did Meta say about hiring and open jobs? The employee memo said Meta would scrap plans to hire for 6,000 open roles, CNBC reported. That means the reduction extends beyond current employees and reaches positions the company had expected to add later. CNBC said the layoffs follow smaller job reductions earlier in 2026. (cnbc.com) In January, the outlet reported, Meta cut about 10% of employees working on metaverse-related projects, including roughly 1,000 people in Reality Labs. In March, another round affected hundreds of employees in Facebook, Reality Labs, global operations and sales, CNBC said. ### How much money is Meta generating while making these cuts? Meta reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of $56.31 billion on April 29, up 33% from a year earlier, according to its earnings release filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company said costs and expenses were $33.44 billion and capital expenditures were $19.84 billion in the quarter. (cnbc.com) Mark Zuckerberg said in that release that Meta had “a milestone quarter” and was “on track to deliver personal superintelligence to billions of people.” The same filing said cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaled $81.18 billion as of March 31. ### What does the reporting show about Meta’s AI buildout? (sec.gov) April 23 reporting from CNBC said Meta was ramping up investments in artificial intelligence as it prepared the layoffs. The outlet tied the cuts to Meta’s effort to deepen its position in AI, where it said the company was competing with OpenAI, Google and Anthropic. (sec.gov) The specific figures in the user-provided context about a $125 billion to $145 billion AI infrastructure buildout and the claim that Meta canceled 22,000 roles for 2026 could not be independently verified from primary filings or the higher-confidence reporting reviewed here. Meta’s April 29 earnings release did confirm nearly $19.84 billion in first-quarter capital expenditures, but it did not, in the material reviewed, support the 22,000-role figure. (cnbc.com) ### Where are public filings already showing job cuts? California’s Employment Development Department says employers generally must provide 60 days’ notice under the state WARN Act before a covered mass layoff. Publicly indexed WARN reporting reviewed through secondary coverage points to Meta notices covering 124 employees in Burlingame and 74 in Sunnyvale, with effective dates in late May. (sec.gov) Those California filings do not account for the full reported 8,000-job reduction, because WARN notices capture only certain covered layoffs and locations. They do show that some of the reported reductions are already appearing in public records ahead of the May 20 start date. ### What happens next? May 20 is the next concrete date in the restructuring timeline. (edd.ca.gov) CNBC reported that layoffs are due to begin that day, while Reuters, as cited by Fox Business, said Meta was planning additional cuts in the second half of 2026. Meta is also expected to provide its next formal update on spending and headcount in future quarterly filings with the SEC. (cnbc.com)