Meta Workers Fear Further Job Cuts as Layoffs Begin
Meta Workers Fear Further Job Cuts as Layoffs Begin
https://www.pymnts.com/meta/2026/meta-workers-fear-further-job-cuts-as-layoffs-begin/
Publish Date: 2026-05-18 11:27:00
Source Domain: www.pymnts.com
- Meta plans to lay off around 8,000 employees, with additional rounds expected including further cuts in August.
- These layoffs follow significant previous cuts, notably in Meta’s Reality Labs division and other areas, causing an “emerging sense of dread” among staff.
- Concurrently, Meta has ramped up AI spending, raising its 2026 capital expenditure guidance by up to $10 billion to potentially $145 billion.
- The layoffs are justified by Meta as a strategic move to enhance efficiency and offset the increased spending on AI.
- Unlike 2022 layoffs which were accompanied by an apologetic tone, this round is characterized by a more “dramatically” firm stance.
- This wave of layoffs adds to a larger trend in tech, with nearly 110,000 job cuts so far this year exceeding cuts from all of 2025.
- Meta’s AI developments, such as its personal AI agent Hatch, are seen to have the edge over competitors partly due to owning the infrastructure these technologies operate on.
