HUNT VALLEY, Md. (TNND) — Meta will lay off 8,000 employees, or 10% of its workforce, next month as it pours billions of dollars into AI.
The company said in an internal memo on Thursday that the planned dismissals will allow it to operate more efficiently while it increases AI spending.
“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,” Janelle Gale, Meta’s head of human resources, said in the message to employees. “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”
Reuters and Bloomberg first reported the layoffs.
Meta announced earlier this year that it expects to spend between $115 and $135 billion in 2026, an increase of at least $42 billion from its 2025 expenses. Investments in its AI division account for most of the expenditure surge, Meta executives said during an earnings call in January.
“I think that 2026 is going to be the year that AI starts to dramatically change the way that we work,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg told investors, according to a transcript of the call. “As we navigate this, our north star is building the best place for individuals to make a massive impact.”
Meta has said that its highest priority is advancing in the AI industry, which features powerful players like Google, OpenAI and Anthropic. Zuckerberg’s company launched the first large language model from its Superintelligence Labs, which it plans on investing billions into, earlier this month. The founder said the model, Muse Spark, was a milestone for Meta’s goal of creating artificial assistants for everyone.
“Nine months ago, we founded Meta Superintelligence Labs with the goal of putting personal superintelligence in everyone’s hands. We believe that empowering people to pursue their individual aspirations is how humanity has always made progress, and we believe that will continue to be true in the future as well,” Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post.
Other companies looking to advance in the AI industry have also announced staff cuts in recent months. Amazon told employees in January that it was laying off 16,000 as it continued investing in “strategic areas and functions” critical to its future.
“Just as we always have, every team will continue to evaluate the ownership, speed, and capacity to invent for customers, and make adjustments as appropriate,” Beth Galetti, a senior vice president at Amazon, said in a memo. “That’s never been more important than it is today in a world that’s changing faster than ever.”
Do you have questions, concerns or tips? Send them to Ray at rjlewis@sbgtv.com.
