Meta cuts 8,000 global staff to ramp up AI investment

Meta, the tech giant behind Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, laid off about 8,000 employees worldwide on Wednesday (20 May 2026) in a bid to cut costs and fund a large-scale investment in artificial intelligence (AI). The cuts, representing around 10 per cent of the workforce, hit engineering and product teams directly, with notices sent by mass email in the early hours of local time for staff in each time zone.

The move triggered what employees described as a destabilising internal restructuring, undermining morale amid concerns about AI’s growing impact on white-collar jobs. According to reports from CNBC Indonesia and Detikcom, the company is forecasting AI infrastructure capex of up to US$145 billion in 2026.

Management said the restructuring is intended to create a leaner, more agile organisation capable of pursuing the company’s new technology targets. ‘We are now at a stage where many organisations operate with flatter structures, with smaller teams moving faster and greater ownership,’ said Meta’s head of HR, Janelle Gale.

Executives expect the reduced team structure to yield long-term benefits for remaining staff. ‘We believe this will make people more productive and their work more meaningful,’ she added.

Separately, the group’s chief executive emphasised the company’s future commitments while acknowledging the emotional toll of the mass efficiency measures. ‘It’s always sad to say goodbye to people who have contributed to our mission and built this company. I feel that burden,’ said CEO Mark Zuckerberg, quoted by AFP.

Zuckerberg confirmed that the company’s primary development focus is now on delivering a highly personalised AI system for a global user base. ‘I want to emphasise that we do not anticipate another company-wide layoff this year,’ Zuckerberg told Reuters.

Despite assurances from the top leadership, several former employees affected by the cuts said future, performance-based layoffs could continue in coming months. ‘If you survive, you must retrain for an entirely new role that cannot be replaced by AI, while bracing for the next wave of layoffs, rumoured for August,’ said Brittany Pierson, a Meta content designer on Instagram. ‘AI increases productivity? Yes. Does it replace humans? No,’ added Matthew Young, a Meta software engineer.

‘The level of disrespect and the chaos we face daily is beyond belief. Meta staff need mental health support after a string of layoffs and reorganisations. Mental health is at an all-time low,’ said one employee before the formal layoff announcement. ‘I am devastated to hear about the layoffs. I had informed my manager that I was pregnant and had started maternity leave. The timing is particularly hard as I am expecting to give birth in July.’

‘Please don’t think that those laid off from Meta are poor performers. I’m just an average performer and I feel very fortunate to have survived while colleagues were laid off,’ another employee who experienced survivor’s guilt said. ‘He doesn’t care. He is focused on profit,’ claimed a worker regarding the CEO’s reputation. ‘To me, the industry no longer offers long-term security or career progression as before. I think people will switch careers en masse to escape the tech industry,’ another worker said.

‘In the past, if you were laid off from Meta, you could move to firms like Google, Amazon, or other tech giants,’ one person added. ‘But now, with AI, you might move to one of those firms, but you could still be laid off again there six months later,’ they concluded.