Meta plans to reduce its workforce by 8,000 positions on May 20, with additional layoffs anticipated in the latter half of 2026.

      In summary: Meta plans to initiate companywide layoffs on May 20, downsizing approximately 8,000 employees, which represents 10% of its workforce of 78,865. Additional layoffs are expected in the latter half of 2026. This restructuring follows previous layoffs that have brought Zuckerberg’s total reductions since 2022 to around 25,000 employees, driven by a shift towards AI infrastructure that is projected to cost between $115 billion to $135 billion in 2026. Teams will be reorganized into AI-centric “pods” under the leadership of the new Chief AI Officer, Alexandr Wang, within the Superintelligence Labs.

      According to three individuals knowledgeable about the plans who communicated with Reuters, the layoffs will take place across various divisions including Reality Labs, the Facebook social segment, recruiting, sales, and global operations. California WARN Act filings have confirmed 124 positions at Meta’s Burlingame office effective May 22, and 74 at the Sunnyvale facility effective May 29. The majority of job cuts will affect the company’s entire workforce, which had grown by 6% last year, even as Zuckerberg had noted that AI would enable Meta to do more with fewer employees.

      Current Trends

      The layoffs in May mark an escalation in workforce reductions, rather than the beginning. Earlier, in January, around 1,000 to 1,500 employees from Reality Labs, about 10% of that division, were let go, along with the closure of several VR game studios, resulting in a 30% budget cut for Reality Labs. In March, Meta announced another reduction, cutting about 700 employees across at least five divisions. The May layoffs signify a transition from targeted cuts to a broader organizational restructuring affecting all major business units.

      Since 2022, Zuckerberg has reduced the workforce by roughly 25,000 positions. The initial round of layoffs in November 2022 involved 11,000 roles and was described as rectifying over-hiring during the pandemic. The second round included 10,000 layoffs in early 2023, which Zuckerberg referred to as the “Year of Efficiency.” In January 2025, 3,600 more jobs were eliminated in what was termed performance-based terminations, even though some of those affected had good performance ratings. The upcoming May 2026 layoffs differ structurally, focusing on reorganizing the company around AI rather than just removing underperformers.

      Leadership in Change

      This restructuring is spearheaded by two executives who reflect Meta's new objectives. Alexandr Wang, the 28-year-old CEO of Scale AI appointed as Chief AI Officer in June 2025, oversees the Meta Superintelligence Labs, which recently introduced its major model, Muse Spark. Meta invested $14.3 billion to acquire a 49% stake in Scale AI to ensure Wang’s involvement. Maher Saba, leading the new Applied AI Engineering division reporting to CTO Andrew Bosworth, penned an internal memo in April detailing the overhaul. This division comprises two teams: one concentrating on interfaces and tools, and the other on task execution, data generation, and assessments.

      Traditional roles are being replaced with new titles such as “AI builder,” “AI pod lead,” and “AI org lead.” Nearly 1,000 employees have already been impacted by this rebranding, and engineers from various departments are being shifted into the Applied AI organization. The internal memo emphasized the aim to “drive a step change in engineering productivity and product quality” and indicated that Meta was “fundamentally rewiring how we operate.”

      A significant departure before this moment was that of Yann LeCun, Meta’s former Chief AI Scientist, who left in late 2025 after 12 years due to disagreements over the AI research path and conflicts with Zuckerberg. He labeled Wang as “young and inexperienced” before founding AMI Labs and raising €1.03 billion in a record seed round in Europe, with backing from Nvidia, Bezos Expeditions, and Temasek. Following this, Meta cut 600 FAIR researchers and restructured its AI division around Wang’s Superintelligence Labs.

      Financial Considerations

      Despite Meta's 2025 financial results making it challenging to portray the layoffs as a response to financial strain—with revenue hitting $201 billion, a 22% year-over-year increase and a fourth-quarter net income of $22.8 billion—significant pressure arises from the capital expenditure side. Meta's 2026 capital expenditure guidance is set between $115 billion and $135 billion, nearly double the $72.2 billion spent in 2025. Investment is targeted toward data centers, GPUs, and the infrastructure necessary for Llama models and recommendation systems, including a $27 billion partnership with Nebius for a massive AI data center campus in Louisiana. CFO Susan Li has warned of a "significant acceleration in infrastructure expense growth," as depreciation and operational costs from expanded data centers affect the income statement. The layoffs are not about survival