Meta announced it will lay off 10% of its workforce, amounting to approximately 8,000 employees, as the company intensifies its investments in artificial intelligence. The layoffs are set to begin on May 20, and Meta will also cancel plans to hire for 6,000 open positions, according to a memo sent to employees on April 23, 2026 [1]. This move follows several previous rounds of job cuts, including a January reduction of about 10% of staff working on metaverse-related projects, which saw roughly 1,000 employees from the Reality Labs unit let go [1].
In March, Meta initiated another round of layoffs affecting hundreds of employees across various divisions, including Facebook, Reality Labs, global operations, and sales. The company also announced a shift away from third-party vendors and contractors for content moderation, opting instead to rely more heavily on AI technologies [1].
The layoffs at Meta are part of a broader trend in the tech sector, with Microsoft offering voluntary buyouts to about 7% of its U.S. workforce and Amazon announcing plans in January to eliminate approximately 16,000 corporate jobs [1]. Meta's global workforce stood at 78,865 as of December 31, 2025, down from 86,482 at the end of 2022, reflecting ongoing efforts to streamline operations following a period of rapid hiring after the Covid pandemic [1].
CEO Mark Zuckerberg is prioritizing AI development, highlighted by the recent debut of a major AI model and the hiring of Scale AI's Alexandr Wang in June. Additionally, Meta has introduced the Model Capability Initiative, a new employee tracking tool designed to collect data from staff computers to train AI agents [1]. Meta is scheduled to report its first-quarter earnings on Wednesday, alongside Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft. Following the layoff announcement, Meta shares fell 2.4% on Thursday and are now roughly flat for the year [1].
CONCLUSION
Meta's decision to cut 10% of its workforce and freeze hiring for thousands of roles underscores its strategic pivot toward artificial intelligence. The market reacted negatively, with shares dropping 2.4% following the announcement. These actions reflect both company-specific restructuring and a broader trend of job reductions across the tech industry.