Meta Targets May 20 for First Wave of Layoffs; Additional Cuts Planned Later in 2026

Meta is executing a two-phase layoff strategy in 2026, with the first wave hitting on May 20 and cutting approximately 10% of its global workforce—roughly 8,000 employees—according to three sources who spoke with Reuters. A second round of cuts is planned for later in the year, though details remain unsettled. The layoffs represent Meta's most significant workforce reduction since its famous "year of efficiency" in late 2022-2023, when it eliminated 21,000 jobs during a period of financial distress.

The driving force behind these cuts is CEO Mark Zuckerberg's aggressive pivot toward artificial intelligence. He's pouring hundreds of billions into AI as he seeks to fundamentally reshape Meta's operations around the technology, with executives explicitly targeting greater efficiency and fewer management layers powered by AI-assisted workers. This mirrors a broader tech-sector trend: Amazon has cut 30,000 corporate employees (roughly 10% of white-collar staff), Block chopped nearly half its workforce in February, and both companies tied those cuts directly to AI efficiency gains. Through mid-2026, the job-tracking site Layoffs.fyi reports 73,212 tech workers have been laid off so far—well on pace to exceed 2024's full-year total of 153,000.

What's notable is Meta's financial positioning this time around. Unlike the 2022-2023 cuts made when the company was in crisis mode due to unsustainable COVID-era growth assumptions, Meta is now in a "more comfortable financial position," having generated over $200 billion in revenue last year and achieved a $60 billion profit despite massive AI spending. The company is reorganizing internally, establishing a new "Applied AI" organization focused on developing AI agents capable of writing code and executing complex tasks autonomously, while also transferring some staff to newly created units like Meta Small Business. Executives may further adjust their layoff plans based on how AI capabilities develop, adding another layer of uncertainty to the timeline.