Meta plans May 20 layoffs, first cut may hit 8,000 workers

Meta planned to begin a fresh round of layoffs on May 20 that could remove about 10% of its global workforce, or close to 8,000 employees, as the Facebook and Instagram parent reshapes its business around artificial intelligence and infrastructure spending. The first wave was expected to be the opening move in a larger restructuring, with more cuts still possible later in 2026.

The company had not settled the size or timing of any later reductions, and executives could still change the plan as AI capabilities evolve. That makes the layoffs more than a simple cost-cutting exercise. They point to a broader reallocation of money and talent inside Meta, where roles tied to older operating models may be shrinking even as the company protects the budget for AI systems, computing power and new product bets. Meta declined to comment on the timing or scope of the cuts.

The move followed months of signals that Meta was preparing for a more aggressive reset. In March, Reuters reported that the company was weighing layoffs of 20% or more of its global workforce. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone dismissed that account as “speculative reporting about theoretical approaches.” The new May 20 timing suggests the company had moved from internal planning toward execution, while still leaving room to expand the cuts later in the year.

Meta has done this before. In November 2022, Mark Zuckerberg said the company would reduce its team by about 13%, or more than 11,000 employees, in what he called one of the most difficult changes in Meta’s history. In March 2023, the company said it expected to cut around 10,000 more jobs and close about 5,000 open roles. The 2026 restructuring would extend that pattern, turning repeated belt-tightening into a continuing management strategy rather than a one-time correction.

The scale of the company makes the numbers more striking. Meta ended 2025 with 78,865 employees, so a 10% cut would amount to roughly 7,900 to 8,000 workers. That is happening alongside heavy investment, not a revenue collapse. Meta reported 2025 revenue of $200.97 billion and capital expenditures of $72.22 billion, then said it expected 2026 capital spending to rise to between $115 billion and $135 billion, with total expenses of $162 billion to $169 billion. Zuckerberg has also framed 2026 as a year of advancing “personal superintelligence,” a signal that Meta sees AI as the center of its next phase even as it trims jobs around the edges. With family daily active people averaging 3.58 billion in December 2025, the company remains enormous, but its workforce plan now appears built for a more automated future.