Meta is planning to lay off approximately 8,000 employees — about 10% of its workforce — with cuts set to begin on May 20, 2026, according to a Bloomberg report citing an internal memo sent to staff.
In addition to the layoffs, Meta will not fill roughly 6,000 positions that are currently open, according to the report. Reuters had also previously reported on the company’s plans for sweeping job cuts.
Meta’s chief people officer, Janelle Gale, addressed employees in the memo. “We’re doing this as part of our continued effort to run the company more efficiently and to allow us to offset the other investments we’re making,” Gale wrote, adding: “This is not an easy tradeoff and it will mean letting go of people who have made meaningful contributions to Meta during their time here.”
The reductions come as Meta works to manage costs following significant spending on its metaverse initiatives, which largely failed to deliver results. The company has also been directing major investment toward its artificial intelligence efforts to remain competitive — earlier in April 2026, it launched an overhauled AI product called Muse Spark.
TechCrunch reported that it had reached out to Meta for comment on the planned cuts.
Source: TechCrunch