Meta is set to conduct a big layoff round tomorrow – May 20, 2026. The tech giant is expected to cut around 8,000 jobs, roughly accounting for 10 per cent of its global workforce. However, as per a leaked internal memo, Meta may also be planning to reassign 7,000 employees into new AI teams.
As per a report from Reuters, the company sent a memo to employees on Monday. Meta stated that along with the layoffs, there will also be organisational restructuring within the company.
Meta’s Chief People Officer Janelle Gale said that the company was going to cut back on managerial roles, and shift 7,000 employees into new teams linked to AI.
Gale wrote, “As org leaders worked on the changes, many of them incorporated AI native design principles into their new org structures. We’re now at the stage where many orgs can operate with a flatter structure with smaller teams of pods/cohorts that can move faster and with more ownership.”
As per Business Insider, Meta will be sending emails to laid off employees three different waves at 4 am local time. Do note that Oracle had sent an email at 6 am to affected workers when it cut 30,000 jobs globally.
In total, Meta’s layoffs and transfers on May 20 will affect about 20 per cent of its workforce, which stands at just under 78,000. As per reports, Meta employees in North America were told to work from home on Wednesday.
Do note that previous reports have suggested that the employee morale within Meta has hit a low point. Some employees have also started grabbing free snacks before the May 20 announcement.
The restructuring is part of a wider overhaul at Meta as it increases spending on AI. The Mark Zuckerberg-led firm has also closed around 6,000 open roles following the layoff announcement last month. Meta is also rumoured to cut another 8,000 jobs soon.
The new initiatives where employees are being moved reportedly include Applied AI Engineering and Agent Transformation Accelerator XFN – two teams previously announced by CTO Andrew Bosworth as part of Meta’s ‘AI for Work’ efforts.
These two teams are working on building AI agents that can autonomously carry out tasks which are currently done by humans. Some employees are also expected to be sent to Central Analytics, focused on measuring productivity and analytics for agent development. Janelle Gale has stated that details of another initiative, Enterprise Solutions, would be shared shortly.
Keep in mind that Meta has been pushing aggressively towards AI in recent months. In April, Meta stated that it planned to invest between $125 billion and $145 billion for 2026 in capital expenditure with a focus on AI.
Apart from layoffs, Meta is also doubling down on the use of AI within the company. The company has installed a new mouse-tracking software that can monitor employee’s mouse movements and keystrokes to train AI. Though around 1,000 Meta employees have signed a petition pushing back against this.
The company is also pushing for more agentic AI tools, and even AI avatars. Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg is believed to have his own AI clone which can interact with employees.
Source: India Today
