Meta to ax 8,000 jobs as Zuckerberg doubles down on AI and white-collar bloodbath picks up | Latest Tech News
Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta has confirmed it plans to slash about 8,000 jobs — roughly 10% of its workforce — informing staff of the sweeping cuts on Thursday.
The Facebook mum or dad disclosed the layoffs in a workers memo, signaling that the company is shifting forward with a huge workforce discount as it pours billions into artificial intelligence.
The cuts had been anticipated to take impact May 20, with another 6,000 open roles that Meta beforehand deliberate to fill getting eradicated.
“I know this is unwelcome news and confirming this puts everyone in an uneasy state, but we feel this is the best path forward, given the circumstances,” Chief People Officer Janelle Gale wrote in the memo obtained by Bloomberg News.
Meta told staffers the company plans to lay off some 8,000 staff next month. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is pictured. Bloomberg via Getty Images
Gale said the layoffs are half of an effort to “run the company more efficiently” while offsetting the heavy investments Meta is making in AI.
Meta said affected staff will obtain severance that contains at least 16 weeks of base pay plus an extra two weeks for every yr of service, along with prolonged health coverage and profession help as they exit the company.
The Post has sought remark from Meta.
The announcement confirms earlier reporting that the tech giant was getting ready deep cuts as it reshapes its business around next-generation computing and automation.
Meta had almost 79,000 staff at the start of the yr, and the latest reductions rank among the largest in the company’s historical past.
The tech giant already trimmed headcount in current months, including layoffs in its Reality Labs division and cuts focusing on lower-performing workers.
Zuckerberg has been ramping up spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure, including data facilities, servers and superior fashions designed to compete with rivals.
The cuts are anticipated to take impact May 20 and will also embody the elimination of about 6,000 open roles that Meta had beforehand deliberate to fill. REUTERS
He has made clear that AI will essentially reshape the company’s workforce, saying earlier this yr: “I think 2026 is going to be the year that AI starts to dramatically change the way that we work.”
Internally, staff have been inspired to undertake AI instruments to deal with duties like coding and writing, as the company shifts toward smaller, more environment friendly groups.
Meta’s inside push toward artificial intelligence has also sparked backlash among staff, notably over new instruments designed to monitor office exercise and practice AI systems.
Staffers have voiced discomfort with the monitoring software program — which logs keystrokes, mouse actions and on-screen exercise — as the company leans more closely on real-world data to construct AI-powered instruments.
Meta is just one of many major tech corporations shedding 1000’s of employees as AI features adoption in the US and past.
US tech employment had its worst start to the yr since 2023, according to a report govt teaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said in a report revealed earlier this month.
The first three months of 2026 noticed 52,050 tech layoffs — a 40% bounce from the same period last yr, the report discovered.
Last month, AI led the listing of causes employers gave for tech layoffs — accounting for 15,341 of the firings, or 25% of the entire. In February, the determine was 10%.
Oracle in March announced 1000’s of layoffs amid declining stock costs while taking on debt for AI investments. In January, Amazon said it could axe 16,000 company staff, with the company suggesting AI will do their work, instead.
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