Meta is planning to lay off nearly 16,000 employees in the coming months, with the first phase expected to impact about 8,000 workers starting on May 20, 2026. This restructuring is part of a broader effort to streamline operations and enhance investments in artificial intelligence.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta CEO, had addressed the employees and said that AI automation is not the main reason behind the upcoming layoffs. In his address, Zuckerberg said he does believe that AI has made small teams more efficient. He also explained Meta’s controversial plan to monitor employee keystrokes and mouse movements, clarifying that humans are not watching staff activity directly and that the data is abstracted to improve the AI models.
Meta currently has over 78,000 employees on its books at the end of 2025. Earlier this year Zuckerberg told investors the company was planning to spend between $115 billion and $135 billion in 2026 alone, nearly twice what it spent the previous year.
In an indirect message, Meta’s chief people officer Janelle Gale now informed the employees that the company cannot rule out further layoffs.
“I’d love to say that there are no more layoffs, but I can’t say something we can’t deliver. While the business is strong, priorities change, competition is fierce, and we will continue to manage our costs responsibly,” Gale said.
She further admitted that layoffs have hurt morale but said Meta is trying to make the process “the best version possible.” She highlighted that the company has tripled COBRA healthcare coverage to 18 months for affected employees.
Meta has recently announced that its infrastructure spending will double this year to between $125 billion and $145 billion, largely to support AI initiatives. Meta's revenue grew 24 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to the same period the year before.
Vikas Kumar is Deputy Editor (Business) at Times Now driving coverage across policy, economy and markets. He possesses nearly a decade of experience i...View More
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