Meta cuts thousands amid AI shift

Meta told employees on April 23 that it will cut about 8,000 jobs, or 10% of its workforce, as it redirects resources toward artificial intelligence. (cnbc.com) (bloomberg.com) The cuts were laid out in an internal memo, and Meta also plans to eliminate another 6,000 open positions that had not yet been filled. Layoffs are scheduled to begin May 20. (variety.com) (forbes.com) Meta had just reported strong 2025 results on January 28: revenue of $200.97 billion, operating income of $83.28 billion, and fourth-quarter revenue of $59.89 billion. (investor.atmeta.com) In the same earnings report, Meta said it expects 2026 capital expenditures of $115 billion to $135 billion, up from $72.22 billion in 2025. The company tied that spending to data centers, servers and network infrastructure for its artificial intelligence work. (investor.atmeta.com) Meta had already signaled the direction in January, when Mark Zuckerberg said he expected 2026 to be the year Meta advanced “personal superintelligence” and used AI more deeply across its products and internal work. (about.fb.com) (investor.atmeta.com) Outside reporting has framed the layoffs as part of a broader reshaping of roles, with companies seeking workers who can build and manage AI systems rather than keeping the same mix of jobs. Forbes wrote that titles such as engineer and product manager are being recast around AI-specific skills. (forbes.com) Other companies moved the same week. Microsoft offered voluntary buyouts to thousands of employees, and coverage tied those moves to a wider surge in artificial intelligence spending across large tech companies. (techspot.com) (finance.yahoo.com) That has left Meta trying to explain two facts at once: the company is cutting thousands of jobs after a year of strong profits, and it is preparing to spend as much as $135 billion this year on AI infrastructure. (investor.atmeta.com) (cnbc.com)