After Press Leak, Meta Confirms Thousands of Layoffs in Employee Memo

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Meta disclosed to employees on Thursday that 10% of the company will be laid off on May 20.

Despite 6,000 open roles that were intended to be filled, the company also stated that it would close recruiting as these layoffs approach. In a memo obtained by Bloomberg, chief people officer Janelle Gale notes that the announcement was only made due to a leak to the press. The document also alludes to recent AI infrastructure costs.

“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,” the note reads.

Employees are set to receive termination emails in the upcoming weeks with an attached severance package of 16 weeks’ base pay plus two weeks for every year of employment. At the start of 2026, Meta employed nearly 79,000 people.

Replacement Training

The internal announcement to employees follows Meta’s rollout of an AI system designed to replicate workflows. The new AI infrastructure is expected to replace roles across multiple departments as its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has been shifting company spending toward large-scale AI infrastructure in a broader strategic pivot. Bloomberg reports Meta is forecasting record capital expenditures this year, alongside multibillion‑dollar partnerships with AI providers. Employees have also been urged to adopt internal AI agents for tasks such as coding and content development.

“I know this is unwelcome news and confirming this puts everyone in an uneasy state, but we feel this is the best path forward, given the circumstances,” Gale wrote.

The upcoming round of layoffs will be the company’s fourth just in 2026 alone, primarily due to cost-saving measures. Throughout the year, Meta has laid off employees in Reality Labs, recruiting, and sales. The company is set to let go of roughly 8,000 employees by the end of May. First-quarter earnings for the company are scheduled to be reported next week.

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