Meta job cuts May 20 are set to put thousands of staff on edge as the social media giant prepares another sweeping round of layoffs.
Meta is preparing to cut about 8,000 jobs worldwide, roughly 10% of its global workforce, with the first wave expected on 20 May, according to people briefed on internal plans cited by Reuters.
Further layoffs are expected in the second half of 2026, though the exact timing and scale have not yet been finalised.
Unlike earlier rounds, the company is not in financial distress. Meta generated more than 200 billion dollars in revenue and around 60 billion dollars in profit last year, even as it poured money into artificial intelligence projects and data centres.
Executives are pushing to reshape the company around AI, trimming management layers and shifting engineers into new roles as automation tools become more capable. Parts of Reality Labs, Meta's virtual and augmented reality division, have already been reorganised, while some engineers have been moved into an Applied AI group focused on advanced systems that can handle coding and other complex tasks. A newly created Small Business unit may absorb some staff whose positions are being reworked, although many roles are still expected to disappear altogether.
Meta previously cut about 21,000 jobs in 2022 and 2023 in what chief executive Mark Zuckerberg called a "year of efficiency", signalling a long-term drive to run the company with fewer people. The latest Meta job cuts May 20 could become its most significant workforce reduction since that period, but this time they come from a position of strength rather than crisis.
Meta's move lands amid a renewed wave of tech job losses worldwide. Data tracked by Layoffs.fyi shows more than 73,000 tech workers have already been laid off in 2026, after around 153,000 roles were cut in 2024, as firms adjust hiring after the pandemic and lean harder on AI tools.
For Meta employees, the numbers feel personal. Many now face weeks of uncertainty while the company refuses to publicly confirm the Meta job cuts May 20, insisting that internal discussions about staffing remain confidential.