Meta cuts hundreds more jobs across Reality Labs, recruiting, and sales as AI spending doubles

Meta began cutting hundreds of jobs on Wednesday across Reality Labs, Facebook, recruiting, sales, and global operations, according to people familiar with the matter and LinkedIn posts from affected employees. The layoffs are the latest in a rolling series of workforce reductions that have accelerated sharply in 2026, as the company redirects resources toward artificial intelligence and away from divisions that no longer sit at the centre of Mark Zuckerberg’s strategic vision.

A Meta spokesperson confirmed the restructuring in a statement, saying that teams across the company regularly implement changes to ensure they are positioned to achieve their goals, and that the company is working to find other opportunities for affected employees where possible.

The scale of the cuts

Meta employed 78,865 people at the end of 2025, according to its annual report. Wednesday’s layoffs, described by sources as affecting hundreds of employees, represent a small fraction ...