Meta has begun notifying employees globally that 8,000 positions will be eliminated, focusing primarily on engineering and product teams with initial notices sent in Asia and the US. Staff are encouraged to work from home during the transition as the company implements these cuts and evaluates further reductions later in the year.

Prior to the layoffs, Meta reassigned 7,000 employees into newly formed AI-focused pods and cohorts to accelerate development of AI products and agents. This shift to smaller, flatter teams is designed to increase ownership, speed decision-making and foster innovation across AI initiatives.

Meta has committed more than $100 billion to AI capital expenditures this year, underscoring CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s priority to outpace rivals in artificial intelligence. The restructuring aims to reduce costs, boost productivity in a leaner organization and sustain long-term growth through enhanced AI capabilities.