Meta Layoffs News: Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, has made a major announcement. Meta will lay off 16,000 employees in the coming months.
This round of layoffs will begin on May 20th.
This giant company will lay off 16,000 employees.
Meta Layoffs 2026: Bad news has emerged for employees at Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. According to reports, company owner Mark Zuckerberg is now focusing his attention on artificial intelligence (AI), which is why the company is preparing to lay off 16,000 employees.
The first phase of these layoffs will begin in May. It has been reported that approximately 8,000 people could lose their jobs in the first round, which begins on May 20th. The growing influence of AI in the tech industry has spread panic among employees.
In the first phase, 10 percent of the staff will be affected.
In the initial phase, 10 percent of Meta's global staff will be affected. While the company hasn't officially confirmed this yet, internal sources suggest that a total of 16,000 people could lose their jobs by the end of 2026. Top company officials are currently compiling a final list. It's believed that employees whose jobs could be handled by AI are most at risk.
Zuckerberg to spend $135 billion on AI
The primary reason behind this massive layoff is Mark Zuckerberg's growing ambition for AI. He wants to make Meta a leader in the AI world. To achieve this significant transformation, the company plans to spend a massive $135 billion this year. A significant portion of this massive amount will be spent on new data centers, advanced chips, and AI software development.
Earlier also 21 thousand people were evacuated
It's worth noting that this isn't the first round of layoffs at Meta. Previously, in 2022 and 2023, Zuckerberg laid off approximately 21,000 employees, calling the post-COVID era a year of efficiency. The company now aims to make its structure leaner and smarter, relying more on AI than humans. To achieve this, many engineers have been shifted to solely AI-focused projects.
Jobs in the entire tech industry are in trouble
This trend of job losses isn't limited to Meta. Companies across the tech industry are reducing their staff and increasing investment in AI. Amazon recently laid off 30,000 people, equivalent to 10 percent of its corporate staff. Fintech company Block has taken a similar step. According to data from Layoffs.fyi , 95 major tech companies worldwide have laid off more than 73,000 employees so far this year.