Meta to Cut 10 Percent of Workforce to Fund AI Expansion

Meta will cut about 10 percent of its workforce, or roughly 8,000 employees, and close another 6,000 open positions as it expands investments in artificial intelligence, reports The New York Times.

According to an internal memo, employees affected by the layoffs will be notified on May 20. Staff in the United States will receive 16 weeks of base pay plus two weeks for each year of service. Packages for employees outside the United States will vary by country.

Meta employed more than 78,000 people at the end of 2025. The company is reorganizing around AI products under chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, who has directed spending toward AI data centers, semiconductors, and research. He has said that new AI tools are allowing smaller teams to complete tasks that previously required larger groups.

The company expects total spending this year to range between 115 billion and 135 billion dollars, with much of it dedicated to AI development. The cuts follow earlier reductions in divisions such as Reality Labs, as Meta shifts resources away from metaverse projects toward AI infrastructure.