Meta is preparing for another major round of job cuts, with the first wave expected to begin on 20 May, according to a Reuters report. The move could affect around 10 per cent of the company’s global workforce, which works out to nearly 8,000 employees. More layoffs are also expected later in 2026, although the final scale and timing of those cuts have not been decided yet. The report suggests the decision is tied to Meta’s growing focus on artificial intelligence, as the company looks to reshape teams, reduce layers of management and spend more aggressively on AI infrastructure. This would mark Meta’s biggest workforce reduction since its earlier ‘year of efficiency’ restructuring.
The company, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has not publicly confirmed the plans. Reuters said the details were shared by people familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity because the discussions are private.
If the May round of layoffs goes ahead as reported, it would be another major chapter in Meta’s long-running internal reset. Back in 2022 and 2023, the company laid off around 21,000 employees across multiple rounds. At the time, CEO Mark Zuckerberg described that period as the company’s ‘year of efficiency’, a phrase that quickly became linked to Meta’s cost-cutting push.
What makes this fresh round different is that Meta is not in financial trouble. In fact, Reuters noted that the company generated more than $200 billion in revenue last year and posted around $60 billion in profit.
Of course, the company’s priorities now clearly revolve around AI. Like many major tech firms, Meta is spending heavily on data centres, chips and talent to stay competitive in the fast-moving AI race. At the same time, companies across the sector are rethinking how many people they need in certain roles as automation tools become more capable. Because of this, Layoffs.fyi, a website tracking tech job cuts around the world, reported that 73,212 employees have lost their jobs so far this year. For all of 2024, the figure was 153,000.
As per Reuters, Meta has already started reorganising parts of the business. Teams inside Reality Labs, the division behind its virtual and augmented reality efforts, have reportedly been reshuffled. Some engineers have also been moved into a newer Applied AI group, which is focused on building advanced AI systems that can handle coding and more complex tasks.
There are also signs that some employees could be redirected rather than simply removed. Reuters reported that Meta has created a Small Business unit, which may absorb some workers depending on internal needs. Still, for thousands of Meta employees, the uncertainty is likely to be the bigger issue right now.