Meta is preparing to roll out a fresh round of job cuts, with the first phase expected next month, according to a Reuters report citing sources familiar with the matter. The layoffs are part of a broader restructuring effort as the company sharpens its focus on artificial intelligence.
The report states that Meta plans to begin layoffs on May 20, targeting roughly 10 percent of its global workforce in the initial round. This could affect close to 8,000 employees. The company had nearly 79,000 employees as of December 31, based on its latest filing.
Sources told Reuters that further layoffs are expected in the second half of the year. However, details regarding the scale and timing of those cuts remain undecided. Executives are likely to fine-tune their plans depending on how AI development progresses.
Meta has not commented on the reported timeline or the scope of the layoffs.
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AI push driving restructuring
The planned cuts come as CEO Mark Zuckerberg continues to channel significant investments into artificial intelligence. The company is working to reshape its internal structure to align more closely with AI-led operations, including reducing management layers and improving efficiency.
In recent weeks, Meta has reorganised teams within its Reality Labs division and reassigned engineers to a newly formed Applied AI unit. This team is focused on building advanced AI agents capable of writing code and handling complex tasks autonomously. Some employees are also being shifted to Meta Small Business, a unit created last month.
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Part of a wider tech trend
Meta’s move reflects a broader shift across the tech industry, where companies are linking workforce reductions to AI-driven efficiency. Amazon has cut around 30,000 corporate roles in recent months, while fintech firm Block reduced nearly half of its staff earlier this year.
According to layoffs.fyi, more than 73,000 tech employees have lost jobs so far this year. The total stood at 153,000 for all of 2024.
This would mark Meta’s largest round of layoffs since its 2022-23 restructuring phase, when about 21,000 jobs were eliminated during what the company called its “year of efficiency.”
