AI's Growing Dominance: Meta Reportedly to Lay Off 8,000 Employees This Year

The wave of layoffs is once again hitting the global technology industry. After Snap Inc, it is now the turn of tech giant Meta, which is reported to be preparing a new round of large-scale layoffs in May 2026.

The parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp is said to be slashing around 10% of its total global workforce, equivalent to nearly 8,000 employees, in the initial wave of layoffs.

This report was first revealed by Reuters on Friday, 17 April 2026. If it indeed takes place, this would be one of Meta’s largest layoffs since the major restructurings in 2022 and 2023.

At that time, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg eliminated around 21,000 job positions during a period he called the “year of efficiency”. Now, layoffs are occurring again even though the company’s financial condition is very strong.

Throughout last year, Meta generated revenue of more than US$200 billion, equivalent to Rp3,400 trillion, with profits reaching US$60 billion or around Rp1,020 trillion.

This substantial revenue occurred alongside the company’s aggressive investments in the development of artificial intelligence (AI).

Reuters reported that Meta executives now want a leaner organisation, with fewer layers of management and more work handled by employees assisted by AI.

This strategy is part of the company’s major transformation in facing the new era of technological competition, particularly in the development of generative AI and automated digital agents.

Meta is also said to have carried out a major reorganisation in the Reality Labs division and moved a number of engineers to a new group called Applied AI. This team is focused on building AI agents capable of writing code and performing complex tasks automatically.

In addition, some employees may be transferred to a new unit called Meta Small Business, which was newly formed last month. As of 31 December 2025, Meta employed nearly 79,000 people worldwide based on the company’s latest regulatory report.

However, that number appears to continue to decrease with the ongoing business restructuring throughout this year. The company declined to comment on the timing or scale of the layoffs to be carried out.