Meta Layoffs: 8,000 Jobs Cut Globally, 7,000 Employees Shifted To AI-Focused Roles

Meta Layoffs: Meta has announced plans to cut around 8,000 jobs globally as part of a major organisational restructuring drive, with the process beginning from Singapore. Alongside the layoffs, nearly 7,000 employees are expected to be reassigned to new AI-focused workflow initiatives as the company accelerates its push towards artificial intelligence integration.

Meta HR sent the affected employees a 4 AM email.

Alongside firing, Meta is planning to not fill almost 6,000 open positions in order to make the company more efficient and AI-oriented. With this, the total headcount of 14,000 has been removed.

110,223 Tech Employees Fired So Far In 2026

A total of 110,223 employees were laid off so far in 144 tech companies globally in 2026, according to layoff tracking website Layoffs.fyi.

The

wave of AI-driven restructuring across the tech industry has intensified in 2026, with several major companies announcing large-scale layoffs and workforce changes. Amazon has already announced plans to cut around 16,000 jobs this year, while Oracle is reportedly reducing nearly 30,000 roles globally as companies focus on automation, cost efficiency, and AI integration.

Meanwhile, Block, the fintech firm behind Square, slashed nearly 40 per cent of its workforce in February, citing operational changes linked to artificial intelligence adoption. Professional networking platform LinkedIn also announced fresh layoffs earlier this month, with WARN notices confirming hundreds of job cuts.

Zuckerberg Push Towards AI

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has increasingly positioned artificial intelligence at the centre of the company’s strategy as it races to compete with rivals such as Google and OpenAI. The AI push has triggered significant operational and workforce changes across Meta, including multiple rounds of layoffs aimed at improving efficiency. Zuckerberg has also encouraged engineers to rely more heavily on AI agents for coding and routine tasks, while reportedly experimenting with AI tools to handle some of his own CEO responsibilities, including collecting employee feedback.

The rapid shift toward AI-led operations has sparked unease among employees. Reports suggest that more than 1,000 workers have signed a petition urging the company to stop collecting data from employee devices for AI training purposes. The proposed monitoring reportedly includes tracking keystrokes, mouse activity, and screen content to improve AI systems. Several employees have also voiced concerns online about declining morale, rising workplace anxiety, and uncertainty over further layoffs as Meta accelerates its AI transformation.