Meta Cuts 10% Of Workforce, Lays Off About 8,000 Employees Starting May 20

Meta plans to cut 10% of its workforce—about 8,000 employees—and will also not hire for 6,000 roles that are currently open, according to an internal memo sent to employees and reported by Bloomberg, as described by TechCrunch and NPR.

“Meta says it will cut 8,000 jobs as AI spending soars Meta will cut thousands of jobs next month as it spends more than ever on artificial intelligence (AI) projects”

BBC

The layoffs are scheduled to begin on May 20, with TechCrunch noting that “the cuts will begin on May 20” and NPR confirming that “The layoffs will take place on May 20 and affect some 8,000 workers.”

BBC

Meta’s chief people officer Janelle Gale told employees, “We’re doing this as part of our continued effort to run the company more efficiently and to allow us to offset the other investments we’re making,” a line repeated across outlets including TechCrunch, NPR, and CNN.

The same memo also frames the decision as difficult, with Gale writing, “This is not an easy tradeoff and it will mean letting go of people who have made meaningful contributions to Meta during their time here,” as quoted by TechCrunch and NPR.

Multiple outlets also report that Meta will close around 6,000 open roles, with CNN stating “The company is also closing around 6,000 open roles” and the BBC saying Meta “would also not fill thousands more open jobs it had been hiring for.”

The BBC adds that Meta’s planned job cuts are tied to increased AI spending, noting the company “will this year spend $135bn (£100bn),” while TechCrunch reports that Meta “debuted a completely overhauled AI product called Muse Spark” earlier this month.

Meta’s memo and the reporting around it tie the job cuts to efficiency and to funding other investments, especially AI infrastructure.

TechCrunch says Gale told employees, “We’re doing this as part of our continued effort to run the company more efficiently and to allow us to offset the other investments we’re making,” and NPR repeats the same language while emphasizing that the layoffs are “part of our continued effort to run the company more efficiently” and to “offset the other investments we’re making.”

CBS News

CNN likewise frames the cuts as a response to AI-fueled spending, writing that Meta is “pours billions into AI” and that Gale wrote, “We’re doing this as part of our continued effort to run the company more efficiently and to allow us to offset the other investments we’re making.”

Several outlets connect the cuts to Meta’s capital expenditure plans, with the BBC stating Meta “will this year spend $135bn (£100bn)” and the Verge reporting that Meta forecast in January it would spend “$115 billion to $135 billion in capital expenditures in 2026.”

The TechCrunch report also places the decision in a broader AI push, noting Meta “spent tens of billions on its metaverse efforts, which largely failed” and that it has had to make “major investments in its AI efforts” to keep up.

The Human Resources Director source adds a specific estimate for AI infrastructure spending, saying analysts estimate it “could reach $135 billion this year alone,” and it also states Meta committed to spending “between $115 billion and $135 billion on AI infrastructure in 2026.”

Meta’s internal communications and public statements from CEO Mark Zuckerberg are presented by outlets as the backdrop for the May layoffs.

“Meta plans to lay off 10% of its workforce, about 8,000 employees, as it continues ramping up investments in artificial intelligence”

CNBC

The BBC reports that Zuckerberg “made public comments in January that essentially telegraphed the company would be cutting jobs again this year,” and it quotes him directly: “I think that 2026 is going to be the year that AI starts to dramatically change the way that we work.”

The BBC also describes how Meta’s AI-driven productivity narrative is tied to workforce changes, saying Zuckerberg noted “projects that used to require big teams now be accomplished by a single very talented person,” and it adds that Meta began “tracking and logging their interactions with work computers” to “help train and improve its AI models.”

In the same BBC report, an employee calls the tracking “dystopian,” saying, “This company has become obsessed with AI,” while the Verge reports that Gale told staff, “I know this leaves everyone with nearly a month of ambiguity which is incredibly unsettling.”

Gale’s memo language is also carried across multiple outlets, including the TechCrunch quote about efficiency and offsetting investments and the NPR quote that the confirmation “puts everyone in an uneasy state.”

The New York Post similarly quotes Gale’s framing of the decision as unwelcome but necessary, writing that Gale told employees, “I know this is unwelcome news and confirming this puts everyone in an uneasy state, but we feel this is the best path forward, given the circumstances.”

While the core facts of Meta’s planned reductions are consistent across outlets, the framing differs—especially around what the cuts mean for workers and how AI is portrayed as the driver.

TechCrunch emphasizes the memo’s efficiency rationale and quotes Gale’s line about offsetting investments, while also noting that Meta “spent tens of billions on its metaverse efforts, which largely failed” and that it has been investing in AI, including the “completely overhauled AI product called Muse Spark.”

CNN

The BBC focuses on AI spending and workforce logging, saying Meta “will this year spend $135bn (£100bn)” and reporting that the company is “begin tracking and logging their interactions with work computers” to train AI models, with an employee calling it “dystopian.”

CBS News frames the layoffs as cost-cutting tied to AI, stating Meta plans to lay off “roughly 8,000 employees, or 10% of its workforce” and describing the move as “to slash costs as the technology company pushes deeper into artificial intelligence.”

The Verge highlights the timeline and the internal ambiguity, reporting that affected staffers will be notified on “May 20th” and quoting Gale about “nearly a month of ambiguity.”

Variety and Engadget both describe the same scale—8,000 layoffs and 6,000 open roles—while Variety adds workforce and financial context, including that “As of the end of 2025, Meta reported a global workforce of 78,865 employees,” and Engadget says the cuts are “part of our continued effort to run the company more efficiently” and that Meta is training its models on its own staff.

The reporting also spells out what happens to affected employees and what broader pressures surround Meta as the AI-driven restructuring unfolds.

“Meta is making another steep cut to its staff, this time to the tune of a 10 percent reduction in its workforce”

Engadget

CNN says Meta will offer affected US employees “16 weeks of base pay along with two weeks for every year of employment,” and it adds that “international packages will be similar.”

Engadget

The New York Post likewise reports severance details, writing that Gale told employees they will receive severance that includes “at least 16 weeks of base pay plus an additional two weeks for every year of service,” along with “extended health coverage and career support as they exit the company.”

Beyond employee impacts, NPR places the layoffs alongside legal challenges, saying Meta “lost two pivotal court cases earlier this year,” including a New Mexico jury finding Meta failed to protect young users from child sexual exploitation, with “Penalties in that case could reach $375 million.”

NPR also reports a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable for mental health problems experienced by a woman who used social media as a small child, with “awarding her $6 million,” and it says Meta “has said it will appeal both lawsuits.”

Looking ahead, USA Today says the second round is “scheduled for the second half of the year” and that sources told Reuters Meta aims to reduce its workforce by “20%,” while the Verge and BBC both describe the possibility of additional reductions in the second half of 2026.