The initial phase is expected to affect roughly 10% of the company’s global staff—close to 8,000 employees—marking one of the most substantial restructuring moves by the social media company since its earlier “year of efficiency” layoffs in 2022–2023. At that time, Meta eliminated about 21,000 roles as it recalibrated after pandemic-era expansion proved unsustainable.
Further reductions are being considered for the second half of the year, although the timing and scale remain fluid. Executives are said to be closely monitoring advances in artificial intelligence before finalizing additional workforce decisions, with potential adjustments still on the table.
Meta, led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, has declined to comment on either the scope or timing of the planned cuts.
The restructuring comes as the company accelerates a sweeping shift toward artificial intelligence, with Zuckerberg directing hundreds of billions of dollars into AI development. The strategy reflects a broader trend across major U.S. technology firms, many of which are reshaping operations around automation and AI-driven productivity gains.
Similar workforce contractions have been reported elsewhere in the tech sector. Amazon.com Inc. has reduced approximately 30,000 corporate roles in recent months, while fintech firm Block Inc. cut nearly half of its workforce earlier this year, with leadership at both companies citing efficiency improvements enabled by AI systems.
According to data from Layoffs.fyi, which tracks global tech industry job losses, more than 73,000 employees have been laid off so far in 2026 alone, following roughly 153,000 cuts recorded throughout 2024.
For Meta, the latest round of layoffs would represent its most significant restructuring effort since the previous major downsizing cycle. Despite those cuts, the company’s financial position has strengthened considerably in recent years. It reported over $200 billion in revenue and around $60 billion in profit last year, even amid heavy investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Still, internal priorities are shifting rapidly. Based in Menlo Park, California, Meta had nearly 79,000 employees as of the end of December, according to its most recent filings. Recent organizational changes include the reconfiguration of its Reality Labs division and the formation of a new “Applied AI” unit focused on building advanced AI agents capable of writing code and executing complex tasks autonomously.
Some personnel are also being reassigned into a newly created Meta Small Business unit as part of the broader restructuring effort.
While the company’s stock has seen moderate gains this year, rising about 3.68%, it remains below its record highs reached the previous summer. The latest developments underscore a growing tension across the tech industry: balancing strong financial performance with aggressive investments in artificial intelligence and a leaner operational structure designed for the next phase of digital transformation.