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Meta Sets May 20 Layoffs, Cutting About 10% of Staff in First Wave

The move reflects a companywide pivot to artificial intelligence.

Overview

  • Sources told Reuters on Friday that Meta will start job cuts on May 20, removing roughly 8,000 roles in an initial round with more reductions expected later in 2026.
  • Executives have not finalized the timing or size of later cuts and may adjust plans based on how the company’s AI capabilities develop.
  • Meta declined to comment on the timing or scope of the layoffs, and filings show the company employed nearly 79,000 people at the end of last year.
  • Engineers have been reassigned into a new Applied AI group building agents that can write code and perform complex tasks, with some staff moved into a newly created Meta Small Business unit.
  • Leaders tie the restructuring to efficiency from AI rather than financial strain, noting more than $200 billion in 2025 revenue and about $60 billion in profit, as the broader tech sector also trims staff linked to AI-driven changes.