Meta is planning to lay off approximately 10 percent of its employees in May, affecting around 8,000 people, according to a memo from chief people officer Janelle Gale published by Bloomberg. The company will also close about 6,000 open roles, because why hire new people when you can just make the survivors do more work?
The cuts come as Meta doubles down on its AI obsession, spending eye-watering sums to poach top talent and build data centers. In January, the company forecast capital expenditures of $115 billion to $135 billion in 2026 - a dramatic leap from $72.22 billion in 2025 - all to support its “Meta Superintelligence Labs efforts and core business.” Earlier this year, Meta already laid off hundreds from recruiting, social media, and sales teams, plus about 10 percent of its Reality Labs division. Apparently, building the metaverse and superintelligence requires a lot of... budget cuts.
Gale wrote that the layoffs are part of “our continued effort to run the company more efficiently and to allow us to offset the other investments we’re making. 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.” Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton confirmed the report but otherwise declined to comment, presumably to avoid saying anything that might make the remaining staff feel worse.
Affected employees will be notified on May 20th. “I know this leaves everyone with nearly a month of ambiguity which is incredibly unsettling,” Gale acknowledged, adding that “as we’re still working through the details we aren’t able to share much more until later in May.” So, basically, a month of sweaty palms and awkward coffee breaks. Reuters reported last week that Meta was targeting May 20th for layoffs and hinted at further cuts in late 2026. In March, Reuters also noted Meta was considering laying off 20 percent “or more” of the company - because why stop at 10 when you can aim for 20?