Overview
- Meta, which confirmed the plan on Thursday, will lay off about 10% of its workforce, or roughly 8,000 people, and close around 6,000 open roles with notifications set for May 20.
- U.S. employees who are let go will receive 16 weeks of base pay plus two weeks for each year of service, a package Meta says will be mirrored internationally with local adjustments.
- Executives framed the cuts as efficiency steps that support soaring AI costs, citing $72.2 billion in capital spending in 2025 and guidance of at least $115 billion for 2026 tied to data centers, chips and model development.
- Alongside the cuts, Meta is starting a new “Information” tab for parents that lists the broad topics teens asked Meta AI about over the past week on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, launching first in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Brazil.
- Meta has paused AI personas for minors since January and says it will form an AI Wellbeing Experts Council and publish parent guidance, moves that follow a New Mexico verdict holding the company liable for harms to minors and ordering $375 million in damages.