Meta Plans to Lay Off About 8,000 Employees

Meta has notified thousands of employees that they have been laid off. The company said the reductions are part of efforts to operate more efficiently and offset other spending.

Background on the Reductions Reports of an upcoming wave of layoffs began circulating in March. At that time, the company was believed to be cutting up to 20 percent of its total headcount. A May memo indicated the reductions would affect approximately 8,000 people.

Meta has about 78,000 employees. The current cuts represent around 10 percent of that total. The company also plans to move more than 7,000 staffers to new AI initiatives and close 6,000 open roles.

January, Meta forecast capital expenditures of $115 billion to $135 billion for 2026. The company said the spending would support its Meta Superintelligence Labs efforts and core business. That amount is nearly double the $72.22 billion spent in 2025.

Meta stated in the memo to affected employees that their contributions had been an important part of the company story. Some former employees have posted about the layoffs on LinkedIn, confirming the cuts are underway. The company has been asked to confirm the exact number of employees affected.