Meta Layoffs: Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms is gearing up for yet another round of layoffs. This time, the company is eliminating over 200 roles across its California’s Silicon Valley office.
The latest wave of Meta layoffs comes at a time when CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced plans to push the implementation of AI across all layers in the company, with focus on more generative AI projects. Meta’s AI push has resulted in the company streamlining roles while investing billions into the artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Meta layoffs: Who gets affected?
Regulatory filings with California’s Employment Development Department reveal that the Meta layoffs will happen in its Silicon Valley offices.
As many as 24 positions will be cut at Meta’s Burlingame office. Meanwhile, the company is set to hand out pink slips to around 74 employees at its Sunnyvale location.
According to Fox Business, the layoffs are linked to an announcement from last month that affected Meta’s sales and recruiting teams and its Reality Labs hardware division.
Some of the employees affected by this wave of layoffs will be offered jobs within Meta, as per the Fox Business report.
“Teams across Meta regularly restructure or implement changes to ensure they’re in the best position to achieve their goals,” a Meta spokesperson was quoted as saying by the channel.
“Where possible, we are finding other opportunities for employees whose positions may be impacted,” the spokesperson added.
When will the Meta layoffs happen?
According to the filings, the Meta layoffs are permanent. The job cuts at Burlingame are scheduled for 22 May, while the Sunnyvale layoffs will come seven days later on 29 May.
Meta’s sustained waves of layoffs amid AI push
Meta has been pushing the use of AI across the company and has been streamlining jobs to invest into the technology. The company projected it will spend up to $135 billion on capital expenditures in 2026, including those related to AI.
Earlier in March, Reuters reported that Meta was planning sweeping layoffs that could affect 20% or more of the company. Citing three people familiar with the knowledge of the matter, the news agency reported that the move was to offset the heavy cost of AI infrastructure.
Top executives have recently signaled the plans to other senior leaders at Meta and told them to begin planning how to pare back, two people cited by Reuters said.
However, Meta at the time had denied such a development.
If Meta settles on the 20% figure, the layoffs will be the company’s most significant since a restructuring in late 2022 and early 2023 that it dubbed the “year of efficiency.” It employed nearly 79,000 people as of December 31, according to its latest filing.
The company laid off 11,000 employees in November 2022, or around 13% of its workforce at the time. Around four months later, it announced it was cutting another 10,000 jobs.
Over the last year, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been pushing Meta to compete more forcefully in generative AI. The company has offered huge pay packages, some worth hundreds of millions of dollars over four years, to court top AI researchers to a new superintelligence team.
- Meta is undergoing significant layoffs as part of its restructuring efforts to focus on AI development.
- The layoffs impact over 200 roles across various locations, emphasizing the company’s shift towards AI.
- Affected employees may be offered alternative positions within Meta, showcasing a commitment to workforce retention.
