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Emails at 4 am: Meta begins laying off 8,000 employees globally, more cuts are in the pipeline
/ 2 min read
The current layoffs are largely expected to affect Meta’s engineering and product departments, as these roles are among the first to be impacted by AI-driven automation.
Ahead of the May 20 layoffs, Meta employees were encouraged to work from home as the job cuts were being implemented.
Facebook’s parent company, Meta, has begun laying off more than 8,000 employees from its global workforce, with employees receiving emails at 4 a.m. in Singapore on Wednesday, it was reported.
According to reports, workers in Singapore were the first to receive the emails, while employees in other regions, including the US and Europe, will receive notification according to their respective time zones, according to an internal memo accessed by Bloomberg.
Ahead of the May 20 layoffs, Meta employees were encouraged to work from home as the job cuts were being implemented. The company also reassigned around 7,000 employees to new AI-focused teams working on products and advanced AI initiatives.
Meta aims to become an AI-first company
Earlier, Meta announced that it would lay off more than 8,000 employees from its global workforce as the tech giant aims to become an AI-first company. CEO Mark Zuckerberg had earlier said that AI is the company’s top priority, and the current restructuring is part of a broader plan to increase spending on AI while reducing workforce costs.
Meta is planning to spend more than $100 billion on AI projects alone this year, with experts saying the spending could rise to as much as $145 billion. However, according to a report by Bloomberg, the current restructuring could save only around $3 billion in the company’s overall costs.
More layoffs may be in the pipeline
At the end of March, Meta had around 80,000 employees globally. Reports suggest the company could further reduce its workforce by the end of 2026, as emerging AI tools are significantly reducing dependence on large-scale hiring.
The current layoffs are largely expected to affect Meta’s engineering and product departments, as these roles are among the first to be impacted by AI-driven automation.
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