Menlo Park, California, April 23, 2026, 11:50 PDT
- Meta is gearing up to slash around 8,000 jobs—about 10% of its workforce—starting May 20. Another 6,000 or so open positions will be eliminated as well.
- Meta now says capital spending in 2026 might land anywhere from $115 billion up to $135 billion, telling investors it’s ramping up on AI infrastructure and bringing in more talent. Total expenses are projected in the $162 billion to $169 billion range.
- Reuters says more cuts could follow the May round, with discussions ongoing about additional reductions later in 2026.
Meta Platforms will lay off around 8,000 employees—about 10% of its staff—on May 20, as the parent company of Facebook and Instagram pushes to rein in expenses amid major investments in artificial intelligence. Another 6,000 open positions are also being eliminated, the company told workers on Thursday.
The move highlights a shift at one of Silicon Valley’s most profitable giants: Meta isn’t hiring more people, it’s retooling for AI. The company closed out 2025 with 78,865 employees. Investors have already been warned—Meta’s 2026 capital expenditures could hit anywhere from $115 billion to $135 billion, and total expenses might land between $162 billion and $169 billion, as Meta pours money into computing power and chases AI specialists.
Back in January, Jesse Cohen, senior analyst at Investing.com, flagged 2026 as what he called a “necessary transitional year” for Meta, with the advertising unit essentially footing the bill for its major AI revamp. Now, Thursday’s memo throws that tradeoff into sharp relief. Reuters
Chief People Officer Janelle Gale told employees in an internal memo reviewed by Business Insider that the layoffs aim to “run the company more efficiently” while balancing other investments. Staff impacted by the move will get an email notification on May 20. U.S. workers are set to receive 16 weeks of base pay, plus an additional two weeks for every year on the job, and 18 months of health coverage. Business Insider
The memo lines up with what Reuters reported back on April 17: May 20 is set for the initial round of 2026 layoffs, with further job cuts still being talked over for later in the year. Plans for those future cuts haven’t been finalized, people familiar with the situation said. Meta, for its part, wouldn’t say anything publicly about how many jobs or when.
Back in March, Meta trimmed a few hundred positions in Reality Labs, recruiting, and social media. Now, if the company moves ahead with plans to cut 10% of staff, it’ll mark the most substantial layoff since the so-called “year of efficiency” across 2022 and 2023—when roughly 21,000 jobs were axed. Reuters
Meta slipped roughly 2.3% by late morning in U.S. trading. Still, profits remain robust. The company’s annual report logged $200.97 billion in revenue for 2025, along with $60.46 billion in net income.
The layoffs come as the company reorganizes around AI agents—software capable of coding and executing complex tasks with minimal oversight. According to Reuters, Meta has reassigned engineers to its new Applied AI division and placed others in a recently formed small-business group.
The shift fits into a wider trend among tech giants. Amazon has slashed 30,000 corporate jobs in the past few months, Reuters noted, while Block has axed close to half its workforce. Top execs at both companies point to AI-driven efficiency as the main driver for these decisions.
The numbers might get messy. Back in January, Zuckerberg told analysts that the AI push would influence “how our company will work going forward.” Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters those planned rounds of cuts could shift, depending on how fast the new tools actually drive productivity. If progress drags, Meta could be left with slimmed-down teams but not much in the way of meaningful cost savings. Reuters
