Meta has begun laying off thousands of employees worldwide as the company restructures its operations around growing investment in artificial intelligence. The job cuts, which started on 20 May, are expected to affect around 8,000 workers across Meta's global operations.
Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg told employees in an internal memo that Meta does not currently expect further company-wide layoffs this year. The Facebook and Instagram parent company is simultaneously reorganising large parts of its workforce as it continues spending heavily on AI infrastructure and products.
Despite the scale of the cuts, attention has also focused on the severance packages being offered to affected employees, with Meta providing compensation and healthcare support that appears more generous than several recent layoffs elsewhere in the technology industry.
Meta Begins Global Layoffs Across Multiple Teams
According to Business Insider, layoff notifications were sent to employees in several international waves beginning in Asia before extending to Europe and North America. The cuts are expected to affect engineering, product and management teams in particular.
Meta had around 78,000 employees before the latest restructuring process began. Alongside the layoffs, the company is also reassigning more than 7,000 workers to newly created artificial intelligence teams focused on AI products, assistants and automated agents.
The changes come as Meta dramatically increases spending on AI development. The company recently projected capital expenditure for 2026 between $125 billion and $145 billion as competition intensifies between major technology firms including Google, OpenAI and Microsoft.
In an internal memo reviewed by Bloomberg, Meta's Head of People Janelle Gale said the company was attempting to create a 'flatter structure' with smaller teams designed to operate more quickly and with greater responsibility.
meta laid off 8,000 employees
— Aman (@Amank1412) May 25, 2026
meanwhile 1,100+ jobs are still open pic.twitter.com/Oh4rVi7AC6
Meta Offers Large Severance Packages To Staff
Affected US employees will receive 16 weeks of base salary alongside an additional two weeks of pay for every year worked at the company, according to the report. The company is also extending healthcare coverage for employees and their families to 18 months, reportedly three times longer than previous coverage periods offered by Meta during earlier restructurings.
The packages appear comparatively larger than severance arrangements recently offered by some other technology companies. The report also noted that Block recently offered laid-off workers 20 weeks of salary and six months of healthcare coverage, while Amazon previously provided several months of pay and benefits during workforce reductions.
I just got laid off from Meta.
— Jeremy Bernier (@jeremybernier) May 20, 2026
Obviously it sucks to lose the income. But between the never-ending layoffs, stack ranking, etc., I'm good. Pretty convinced that when I look back at this moment a few years into the future, I'll be grateful it happened.
There's a lot I want to…
Employees outside the United States are also expected to receive compensation packages, although the details vary depending on local employment laws and regional policies.
AI Push Continues Amid Employee Concerns
The layoffs have also added to concerns among some Meta employees about the company's growing reliance on AI systems and automation.
More than 1,000 employees recently signed an internal petition objecting to proposals involving the collection of workplace device data, including mouse movements, keystrokes and screen activity, for AI training purposes.
The layoffs have also affected Meta's European operations, with around 350 positions reportedly cut in Ireland, representing roughly one-fifth of the company's Dublin workforce.
While Zuckerberg said Meta remains optimistic about its position in the AI race, the company's latest restructuring highlights the growing pressure across the technology sector as firms attempt to balance rising AI investment with cost reductions and operational efficiency.
