Meta has informed thousands of employees that they are being laid off as the company seeks to balance its books after pouring money into artificial intelligence, according to multiple reports.
The layoffs affect roughly 8,000 people, or about 10 percent of Meta's 78,000-person workforce, based on a memo circulated internally in May. That figure is lower than earlier rumors from March, which suggested the company might cut up to 20 percent of its staff.
In an email sent to impacted employees and shared by Business Insider, Meta management said the headcount reduction was part of "continued effort to run the company more efficiently and to allow us to offset the other investments we're making."
Hefty AI spending drives cuts
The job cuts come after Meta forecasted in January that it would spend between $115 billion and $135 billion on capital expenditures in 2026. That money is intended to "support our Meta Superintelligence Labs efforts and core business." By comparison, the company spent $72.22 billion in 2025, meaning the 2026 projection is nearly double.
Alongside eliminating active roles, Meta is shifting more than 7,000 employees to work on new AI initiatives, according to Business Insider. Bloomberg reported that the company is also closing about 6,000 open positions that were never filled.
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Reactions from affected workers
Some of the laid-off employees have posted about their termination on LinkedIn, sharing photos of their Meta badges and confirming that the cuts are happening now. One former employee said she was let go alongside "8,000 metamates."
Meta closed its memo to departing workers with a note of gratitude: "We want to say again that we're grateful for your contributions. Your impact at Meta has been an important part of our story."
The Verge has reached out to Meta to confirm the exact number of employees affected.
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