Meta Announces Major Layoffs as Part of AI-Driven Restructuring

New York. Meta, the parent company of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, has announced plans for a major round of layoffs this year. According to Reuters, Meta is preparing to let go of 10 percent of its total workforce, approximately 8,000 employees, on May 20.

Meta plans to execute the first phase of layoffs on May 20, with a second phase scheduled for later this year. However, a final decision on the number of employees to be cut in the second phase has not yet been made. This situation follows a strategy adopted by CEO Mark Zuckerberg to reduce management layers and increase operational efficiency alongside the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities.

Meta is investing billions of dollars in AI technology. The company is transferring its engineers to a new Applied AI department, accelerating the development of AI agents capable of writing code autonomously and performing complex tasks. The company has chosen the path of layoffs as technology enables work to be done faster with fewer personnel.

Meta is not the only major company in the US tech sector prioritizing layoffs this year. In recent months, Amazon has cut 30,000 jobs, and the fintech company 'Block' has laid off half of its staff. According to Layoffs.fyi, more than 73,000 tech sector employees worldwide have lost their jobs so far this year.

For Meta, this reduction is the largest restructuring since the 'Year of Efficiency' in 2022 and 2023, during which the company laid off 21,000 employees. Although Meta remains financially strong, having earned over $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year, it is proceeding with layoffs to align with a future AI-focused operational model.

As of December 31, Meta had approximately 79,000 employees. The company plans to reorganize its 'Reality Labs' division and transfer some employees to the newly established 'Meta Small Business' unit.