Meta lays off approximately 8,000 employees, around 10 percent of its 78,000-person workforce, to offset heavy AI spending

Meta notified thousands of employees of layoffs in May, with the cuts affecting approximately 8,000 people. The company stated the reduction was part of efforts to 'run the company more efficiently and to allow us to offset the other investments we're making,' according to a memo shared by Business Insider.

Alongside the layoffs, Meta is moving more than 7,000 staffers to work on new AI initiatives and closing 6,000 open roles. The company forecasted in January that it will spend $115 billion–$135 billion in capital expenditures in 2026 to 'support our Meta Superintelligence Labs efforts and core business,' compared with $72.22 billion spent in 2025.

The layoffs follow earlier reports in March that Meta was considering cuts of up to 20 percent of total headcount, though the May memo indicated a smaller reduction of approximately 10 percent.