Meta is preparing to lay off approximately 10 percent of its staff, translating to about 8,000 employees, and will also close around 6,000 open roles in May. This information comes from a memo by the company’s chief people officer, Janelle Gale, published by Bloomberg.
These cuts follow Meta’s significant investments in artificial intelligence, which include substantial spending on hiring top talent and building data centers. The company projected in January that its capital expenditures for 2026 would range from $115 billion to $135 billion, a considerable increase from $72.22 billion in 2025. This surge in investment is intended to “support our Meta Superintelligence Labs efforts and core business.” Earlier this year, Meta had already implemented layoffs affecting hundreds of employees in its recruiting, social media, and sales teams, along with a 10 percent reduction in its Reality Labs division.
Gale’s memo stated that Meta is undertaking these actions "as part of our continued effort to run the company more efficiently and to allow us to offset the other investments we’re making." She acknowledged the difficult tradeoff, implying the departure of valuable contributors. Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton confirmed the accuracy of Bloomberg’s report but declined further comment.
Affected staff members are scheduled to be notified on May 20th. Gale noted that this period of ambiguity is unsettling but explained that details are still being finalized, and more information will be shared later in May. Reuters previously reported Meta’s May 20th target for layoffs and indicated that additional cuts are planned for the second half of 2026. In March, Reuters also reported that Meta was considering layoffs of 20 percent or more of its workforce.