Meta began laying off approximately 8,000 employees (roughly 10% of its workforce) on Wednesday, starting with its Singapore office at 4 am local time. The cuts follow a commitment made in April as part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's efficiency-and-AI restructuring strategy. Alongside the layoffs, 7,000 employees were redeployed into AI-focused roles earlier in the week. The cuts primarily target corporate functions such as HR, marketing, and recruiting rather than engineering. Meta's massive AI capital expenditure — $72.2bn in 2025 and over $115bn guided for 2026 — is the strategic driver, with payroll compression intended to offset the capex load. The move is part of a broader industry trend, with banks like Standard Chartered, JPMorgan, and others also signaling AI-driven headcount reductions.
