Meta has announced plans to cut nearly 8,000 jobs, representing around 10 per cent of its workforce, as part of a drive to run the company more efficiently. The layoffs are scheduled to take place on 20 May, according to an internal memo from Janelle Gale, Meta’s chief people officer, which was leaked to the press before the company had intended to announce the cuts.
“Normally, we would want to nail down more details before communicating about this broadly, but since this has leaked, I want to share what I can right now,” Gale wrote in the memo, which was confirmed by Meta. The company had nearly 79,000 employees at the start of the year, meaning roughly 7,900 workers will be affected. Meta also said it will not fill around 6,000 open roles it had intended to hire for.
Meta’s stock fell by $3.73 on Thursday, closing at $659.15 per share. The job cuts come as the tech giant, like many others, increases spending on artificial intelligence. During a fourth-quarter earnings call in January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said: “We are now seeing a major AI acceleration. I expect 2026 to be a year where this wave accelerates even further.” Meta expects to spend between $162 billion and $169 billion this year, primarily on infrastructure costs.
Affected US workers will receive a severance package described as “generous”, comprising 16 weeks’ base pay plus an additional two weeks for every year worked at the company, along with help covering healthcare costs. More layoffs are planned for the second half of 2026, sources told Reuters. “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,” Gale told employees.
