Meta is going through yet another phase of internal churn, and this time, it is not just about layoffs. Over the past few months, employees at this company have found themselves dealing with job cuts that seem unpredictable, tighter monitoring of daily work, and a new appraisal system that raises both rewards and pressure. Taken together, these changes are giving a glimpse into how the company is re-aligning itself in the age of AI.
The layoffs, in particular, are starting to feel frequent and scattered. In early April 2026, filings with California’s Employment Development Department showed that Meta planned to cut around 200 roles in Silicon Valley, with job losses spread across Burlingame and Sunnyvale. Just a month before that, reports suggested that teams across Reality Labs, social media divisions, and recruiting operations were also impacted by layoffs. And earlier in the year, the company had already reduced about 10 per cent of its Reality Labs workforce, affecting more than 1,000 employees.
The biggest shock came when Meta confirmed that it would cut roughly 10 per cent of its workforce in May 2026, which is close to 8,000 employees. The company also plans to leave about 6,000 open roles unfilled. While layoffs in tech are not new, the pattern at Meta has raised questions internally, especially because the cuts are happening in waves rather than as one large, clearly defined restructuring.
“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,” Meta’s Chief People Officer (CFO) Janelle Gale wrote in a memo to employees. This suggests that the company is doing layoffs due to its investments in AI, something which we will talk about in a bit.
Interestingly, earlier this year in January, the company told Business Insider that it doesn’t plan on doing any performance-linked layoffs in 2026 but it did announce the fresh round of layoffs in April. Although, it is unknown whether the layoffs were done based on performance issues or something else. We will likely get clarity on this in the coming weeks as layoff process starts.
AI push driving tough calls at Meta: Micro-managing employees
At the centre of all this is Meta’s aggressive push into AI. CEO Mark Zuckerberg had already hinted earlier this year that AI would change how work gets done inside the company. “I think that 2026 is going to be the year that AI starts to dramatically change the way that we work,” he said, pointing to how fewer people can now handle tasks that once needed larger teams.
Meta is reported to spend as much as $135 billion on AI this year, a figure that matches its combined investment in the technology over the past three years. This change in spending priorities is likely one of the main reasons behind the layoffs. As one employee told the BBC, “This company has become obsessed with AI.”
That obsession is also showing up in how employees are being monitored. The company has introduced a new tracking system called the Model Capability Initiative (MCI), which records mouse movements, keystrokes, and clicks on work devices. It can even take snapshots of screens while employees are working.
According to internal communication, the idea is to train AI systems to better understand how humans interact with computers. “This is where all Meta employees can help our models get better simply by doing their daily work,” the memo said. CTO Andrew Bosworth explained the larger vision, saying, “The vision we are building towards is one where our agents primarily do the work and our role is to direct, review and help them improve.”
At the same time, Meta is pushing employees to actively use AI tools in their work. Internal targets suggest that in some teams, engineers are expected to write up to 75 per cent of their code using AI assistance. Adoption of tools like DevMate and Google’s Gemini is also being tracked, with a focus on how widely these tools are being used rather than just output.
New appraisal system raises stakes
Alongside layoffs and tighter monitoring, Meta is also redesigning how it evaluates employees. According to Business Insider, a new performance programme called “Checkpoint” will roll out in 2026, bringing a four-tier rating system with sharply different outcomes.
Top performers could earn bonuses of up to 200 per cent of their base pay, while a select few may receive a special “Meta Award” with a 300 per cent bonus multiplier. On the other end, employees rated as “Not Meeting Expectations” will receive no bonus at all.
The company says most employees will fall into the “Excellent” category, which comes with a 115 per cent bonus multiplier. The new system also reduces the review process to two cycles a year and aims to cut down on time spent on feedback, which currently runs into hundreds of thousands of hours across the company.
However, the changes are also making the workplace more competitive. Employees have already experienced a tougher environment over the past year, with performance ratings carrying more weight than before. Meta has made it clear that going forward, “AI-driven impact” will be a key factor in how employees are evaluated.
