Meta is preparing for another round of mass layoffs, with reports suggesting that about 8,000 employees may lose their jobs. The layoffs are expected on May 20 and could affect nearly 10 per cent of the company’s global workforce. Employees are reportedly unhappy about widening pay gaps, forced role changes for engineers, and workplace monitoring software used during AI training programmes. These issues have added to growing frustration inside the company. Over the past four years, Meta has already laid off thousands of workers, and the total could reach nearly 25,000 after this latest round. Although Meta has not officially confirmed the decision, discussions about the layoffs have spread widely across internal forums and employee groups.
Meta’s chief people officer, Janelle Gale, confirmed the news of the layoffs via an internal memo. He further acknowledged that many workers were already aware of the decision since the media reports regarding the same have been surfacing online for a while now.
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According to Bloomberg, Meta has assured employees that employees who will be impacted will receive severance support and healthcare benefits from Meta. Moreover, workers based out in the United States will also receive 16 weeks of base salary along with two additional weeks of pay for every year spent at the company.
Meta also announced that the US employees who will be exiting would also receive healthcare coverage for themselves and their families, which will continue for 18 months after their exit. Employees outside the US are also expected to receive similar support, though the final details will depend on local labour laws and regional policies. The company also added that it would also provide career support services for affected workers.
In the memo, Gale advised employees to update their personal email details on Workday, adding that impacted workers would receive notifications on both their personal and company email accounts on May 20.
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Meta said the layoffs are part of its larger effort to operate more efficiently while continuing investments in other areas. Though the memo did not directly mention artificial intelligence, the company has sharply increased its AI focus over the past year.
During a company call on April 29, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said AI tools are changing how products are built within the company. He said smaller teams can now complete projects in days that once required months of engineering work.