Meta to lay off 10% of staff, about 8,000 workers, in May

Meta is planning to lay off around 10 percent of its employees in May, according to a memo from chief people officer Janelle Gale published by Bloomberg. The cuts will affect approximately 8,000 people, and the company will also close about 6,000 open roles. Gale wrote that the reductions are intended to help the company run more efficiently and to offset other investments it is making. The layoffs follow Meta's significant spending on artificial intelligence, including hiring top talent and building data centers. In January, the company forecast capital expenditures of $115 billion to $135 billion for 2026, up from $72.22 billion in 2025, to support its Meta Superintelligence Labs efforts and core business. Affected staffers will be notified on May 20th. Reuters reported last week that Meta was targeting that date for layoffs and that further cuts are planned for the second half of 2026. Earlier this year, Meta announced smaller layoffs affecting recruiting, social media, sales, and about 10 percent of its Reality Labs division.