Meta has also ridden the wave of layoffs sweeping across the tech industry, reportedly considering its largest workforce reduction since the 2022–23 “year of efficiency.” According to a report by Reuters, the cuts could affect 20% or more of the company’s roughly 79,000 employees, potentially eliminating over 15,800 roles, as soaring AI infrastructure costs and a broader push toward leaner, AI-assisted operations reshape the company’s strategy.
The potential cuts reflect the rising cost of Meta’s AI ambitions. The company has committed $600 billion to build data centres by 2028, with capital spending projected to reach $135 billion in 2026, almost double last year’s $72 billion. It has also been offering huge compensation packages to attract top AI researchers and making major investments, including $14.3 billion in Scale AI and acquisitions such as Moltbook and Manus.
No timeline has been finalised and the exact scale remains unclear, but top executives have already begun signalling potential cuts to senior leadership, asking teams to identify areas for reductions, sources told Reuters. One person familiar with the discussions told Business Insider the layoffs could come within a month.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg has signalled a shift toward smaller, AI-powered teams, saying in January that projects once requiring large groups can now be handled by a single highly skilled worker.
If the reported 20% reduction materialises, it would surpass Meta’s earlier layoffs of about 11,000 employees in 2022 and another 10,000 in 2023. The move would mirror broader cuts across tech, with Amazon and Block also trimming thousands of jobs as companies restructure around AI.
