Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, plans to lay off roughly 8,000 employees—about 10% of its global workforce—as part of a restructuring to accelerate investments in artificial intelligence. The cuts were announced in an internal memo from Chief People Officer Janelle Gale and are slated to take effect on May 20, according to Bloomberg.
The company will also pause hiring for approximately 6,000 open roles. Gale said Meta decided to notify employees directly after details were leaked to the press and acknowledged the uncertainty the changes create for staff.
Meta is reallocating resources toward high-priority initiatives, with a strong emphasis on AI infrastructure. The firm has been committing billions of dollars to prepare for an AI-centric future, and leadership says the reorganization will align teams and spending with those priorities.
Affected U.S.-based employees will receive severance packages that include 16 weeks of base pay plus an additional two weeks for each year of service, 18 months of health care coverage, and support services such as career transition assistance and immigration help where applicable.
The move follows earlier reductions across several divisions, including Reality Labs. Some reports indicate further reductions could increase total job cuts to as much as 20% of the workforce.
