Meta plans big cuts
- Meta plans a new round of layoffs as part of an AI‑focused reorganisation. - The cuts will start May 20 and could remove about 8,000 employees, roughly 10% globally. - Reports say additional reductions may follow this year as Meta redirects spending toward AI infrastructure and efficiency (finance.yahoo.com).
Meta is preparing to cut about 8,000 jobs starting May 20, the first wave of a broader 2026 layoff plan. (usnews.com) Reuters reported that the initial round would equal roughly 10% of Meta’s global workforce, with additional cuts under discussion for the second half of 2026. Meta declined to comment on the timing or size of the planned reductions. (usnews.com) The cuts would be Meta’s biggest since its 2022 and 2023 “year of efficiency,” when the company eliminated about 21,000 jobs after pandemic-era hiring outpaced growth. This time, the company is making the move from a stronger financial position. (usnews.com) Meta reported $200.97 billion in 2025 revenue and $60.46 billion in net income on January 28, even as Mark Zuckerberg said he was pushing ahead with “personal superintelligence” work in 2026. The company has already scheduled its next earnings call for April 29. (investor.atmeta.com 1) (investor.atmeta.com 2) That combination — rising profits and fresh layoffs — reflects a reordering of spending, not a company in immediate distress. Reuters reported that executives are reshaping Meta around artificial intelligence, with fewer management layers and more work handled by AI-assisted employees. (usnews.com) Meta’s own recent announcements show where some of that money is going. In April, the company said it was partnering with Broadcom to co-develop custom artificial intelligence chips and with Arm on a new class of data-center silicon. (investor.atmeta.com) The planned cuts also fit a wider 2026 pattern across tech. Reuters said Amazon has trimmed 30,000 corporate employees in recent months and Block cut nearly half its staff in February, with executives in both cases tying the moves to efficiency gains from artificial intelligence. (usnews.com) Meta’s 2025 annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission lists Menlo Park, California, as its headquarters and shows the company entering 2026 as one of the industry’s biggest employers and spenders. If the May 20 plan holds, that workforce will shrink again before Meta reports its next quarter. (sec.gov)
