Meta plans to lay off 8,000 staff, or 10% of its workforce, starting May 20 as AI push reshapes jobs

Meta is preparing a new round of layoffs, setting May 20 as the starting point for cuts that will affect roughly 8,000 employees, or about 10% of its global workforce, according to an exclusive report from Reuters. The move marks the first wave in what insiders describe as a broader restructuring that could stretch through the rest of 2026.

The scale is significant, though not entirely surprising. Meta has been pouring massive resources into artificial intelligence, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg steering the company toward a future built around automation, AI agents, and leaner teams. Inside the company, that shift is already changing how work gets done—and how many people are needed to do it.

The report follows earlier signs of broader cuts inside Meta. Business Insider reported that internal planning was already underway, and The Information said an initial wave could hit midweek, affecting a few hundred roles.

Meta to Begin Layoffs May 20, With Larger AI-Driven Cuts Coming in 2026

Three sources familiar with the plans told Reuters that Meta intends to begin the first wave of layoffs on May 20, with more cuts expected later. “The Facebook and Instagram owner will lay off about 10% of its global workforce, or close to 8,000 employees, in that initial round,” the report said.

People familiar with the plans say additional layoffs are expected later this year. The exact timing and scope remain fluid, with leadership watching how quickly AI systems can take on more tasks across engineering, operations, and support functions. The direction is clear: fewer layers of management and a stronger reliance on AI-assisted workflows.

This isn’t Meta’s first major reset. The company cut about 21,000 jobs during its earlier restructuring cycle, which it labeled the “year of efficiency.” That period came as the business struggled with slowing growth and a sharp market downturn. Today’s situation looks different on the surface. Meta is profitable, its stock has rebounded, and it generated more than $200 billion in revenue last year, with roughly $60 billion in profit.

The cuts now are less about survival and more about repositioning. Executives are reorganizing teams, shifting engineers into a new “Applied AI” group focused on building systems that can write code and handle complex tasks autonomously. Some employees are being reassigned to newer units, including a recently formed division aimed at small businesses. Others will not have that option.

The broader industry is moving in the same direction. Amazon has reduced tens of thousands of corporate roles in recent months, and Block cut a large portion of its workforce earlier this year. In both cases, executives pointed to efficiency gains tied to AI as a key factor behind the decisions.

Across the tech sector, layoffs have already surpassed 70,000 this year, according to publicly tracked data. The pattern is becoming harder to ignore. Companies are investing heavily in AI systems that promise faster output with fewer people, even as they continue to post strong financial results.

Meta’s next round of cuts underscores that shift. The company isn’t reacting to a crisis. It’s acting on a belief that the way work gets done is changing quickly—and that staying ahead means making difficult decisions now, before the gap widens.