Meta is parting ways with its 8 thousand employees for artificial intelligence

While Meta increased its investments in artificial intelligence, it initiated a new wave of layoffs throughout the company. According to internal company memos shared by Business Insider, Meta management notified thousands of employees that they were being laid off. In the e-mail sent, it was stated that this decision was aimed at managing the company more efficiently and balancing the cost of ongoing investments. It is stated that the layoffs are directly related to Meta’s accelerating investments in artificial intelligence. In recent months, there has been a significant increase in the budget allocated to the company’s AI infrastructure.

The first information about the new wave of layoffs at Meta appeared in March. At that time, it was rumored that up to 20 percent of the company’s total number of employees could be cut. According to the current company note shared in May, it is stated that the layoffs affected approximately 8 thousand employees. This figure corresponds to 10 percent of Meta’s total workforce of approximately 78 thousand people. Despite this, it seems that the company continues its recruitment activities in some departments and is restructuring, especially in artificial intelligence-focused teams.

Meta plans to significantly increase capital spending for 2026

In the financial projections made by the company in January, it was announced that capital expenditures for 2026 would be between 115 billion and 135 billion dollars. Meta announced that a significant part of this budget will be allocated to core business operations through “Meta Superintelligence Labs” work. By comparison, the company’s total capital expenditures for 2025 were approximately $72.2 billion. This chart shows that Meta plans to nearly double its spending on AI infrastructure in a short time.

Besides, the company is not content with just layoffs. According to information provided by Business Insider, Meta is preparing to assign more than 7 thousand employees to new artificial intelligence projects. According to Bloomberg, approximately 6 thousand open positions were canceled. Thus, while the company reduces costs, it also directs its resources directly to AI development processes. The toughening competition between technology companies, especially in the field of productive artificial intelligence and large language models, also leads to rapid changes in Meta’s organizational structure.

In the message sent to the dismissed employees, Meta management thanked the employees for their contributions to the company. “Your influence at Meta has been an important part of our story,” the company said. Despite this, some former employees sharing on LinkedIn claim that the layoffs are more extensive than expected. Some people who published their Meta employee cards in the posts confirmed that thousands of people were dismissed at the same time.

Similar decisions have attracted attention in the technology sector in the last two years. Companies such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Salesforce also downsized their workforce in order to control costs and to create resources for artificial intelligence investments. Meta’s latest move reveals that this sector-wide transformation continues. However, it is understood that the company’s high-budget investments in AI projects may increase financial pressure in the short term, but Meta management prioritizes long-term growth goals.