Meta Platforms is cutting about 8,000 jobs and shuffling another 7,000 employees into AI-focused teams. That’s roughly 10% of the company’s workforce getting pink slips while a comparable number learn they’ll be doing something entirely different starting now.
The company is also closing around 6,000 open positions, meaning the total headcount reduction is even steeper than the layoff number suggests. Layoff notices are set to begin on May 20, though many affected employees have already been told to work from home before receiving official word.
The AI pivot gets expensive
Meta is simultaneously planning to spend between $125 billion and $145 billion on AI infrastructure and development. The reorganization is designed to flatten management layers and create what the company calls “AI-native” teams, with engineering and product divisions absorbing the heaviest impact.
The 7,000 employees being reassigned won’t simply change desk locations. They’re moving into entirely new organizational structures built around AI development.
