Meta targets 20 May for 8,000 layoffs as it redirects billions toward AI infrastructure

In short: Meta will begin companywide layoffs on 20 May, cutting approximately 8,000 employees (10% of its 78,865-person workforce), with additional cuts planned for the second half of 2026. The restructuring, which follows earlier rounds that brought Zuckerberg’s total cuts since 2022 to roughly 25,000, is driven by a reallocation toward AI infrastructure costing $115-135 billion in 2026, with teams reorganised into AI-focused “pods” under new Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang’s Superintelligence Labs.

Meta will begin companywide layoffs on 20 May, cutting approximately 8,000 employees, or 10% of its global workforce, according to three people familiar with the plans who spoke to Reuters. Additional cuts are planned for the second half of 2026, though their timing and scope have not been finalised. The May round is the first phase of a restructuring that earlier reports suggested could eventually reach 20% of the company, though ...