Meta’s 10% Staff Cut Memo Reveals Layoffs Affecting 8,000 Workers
Meta has confirmed it is moving ahead with a sweeping 10% staff cut, notifying employees through internal memo that has since been widely reported. The company, which had roughly 78,000 employees at the end of 2025, will let go of approximately 8,000 workers. The layoffs set to take effect on May 20th.
The memo, first obtained and published by Bloomberg, was authored by Janelle Gale, Meta’s chief people officer, who framed the Meta 10% staff cut as a push for operational efficiency. Beyond the direct job losses, the company also announced it would close approximately 6,000 open roles it had planned to fill, according to CNN and TechCrunch.
The AI Spending Trade-Off
The timing of the cuts is no coincidence. Meta has signalled plans to nearly double its AI spending in 2026, projecting capital expenditure of around $135 billion, up from $72 billion in 2025. Gale acknowledged the difficulty of the decision, noting it means parting ways with employees who made real contributions to the company. A Meta spokesperson confirmed the contents of the memo to multiple outlets, including NBC News and NPR.
This is not the first time Meta has made aggressive cuts. The company previously laid off more than 20,000 employees in 2022 and 2023 during what Mark Zuckerberg called a “year of efficiency.” This latest Meta 10% staff cut signals that the efficiency drive is far from over this time, resources are being redirected toward the AI arms race reshaping the entire tech industry.
