Meta to cut nearly 8,000 jobs next month
Meta is set to lay off around 10 per cent of its workforce next month in an attempt to increase efficiency.
Meta is set to cut almost 8,000 jobs.
The tech giant has informed employees that around 10 per cent of the workforce will be laid off on May 20 as part of a major shakeup to increase efficiency.
In an internal memo seen by several media outlets, Meta's chief people officer Janelle Gale said: "We’re doing this as part of our continued effort to run the company more efficiently and to allow us to offset the other investments we’re making."
The tech firm opted to break the news to its staff several weeks earlier than planned after the job-cutting plans were leaked to the press.
Gale said: "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."
Meta had almost 79,000 employees at the start of 2026, meaning that approximately 7,900 workers will be laid off next month.
The company - which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram - announced that it does not plan to hire new employees for the 6,000 open roles it had intended to fill.
According to sources, more layoffs are planned for the second half of the year.
The job cuts come as Meta places increased emphasis and funding into AI, with the company expected to splash out $162 billion to $169 billion on the tech this year.
During an earnings call in January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told investors: "We are now seeing a major AI acceleration. I expect 2026 to be a year where this wave accelerates even further on several fronts."
Gale explained in her memo that those impacted by the layoffs will receive an email in May.
She told employees: "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."
