Meta Layoffs: Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has recently made the difficult decision to lay off around 600 employees from its AI division. The
move is part of a broader effort to trim what the company describes as “bloated” operations and streamline its AI efforts under the leadership of Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang. These layoffs target Meta’s Superintelligence Labs, the umbrella group that houses the company’s various AI projects. In an internal memo, Wang explained that by reducing the team’s size, decision-making processes would become leaner, and remaining employees would carry more responsibility and have greater impact. The affected employees were promptly notified about the changes. This workforce reduction comes after Meta invested heavily in its AI talent pool, recruiting top engineers and researchers from major players like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Apple, as reported by The Economic Times (ET). The company has also poured billions into initiatives like its USD 14.3 billion investment in Scale AI, aiming to accelerate innovation with quicker decisions and more focused teams. The layoffs will affect three of the four main sections within Meta’s AI division, including the legacy AI research team and units focused on AI products and infrastructure. However, the relatively small and high-profile TBD Lab, which concentrates on cutting-edge AI models, will remain untouched, according to reports from Axios, according to a report by ET. Employees were informed early Wednesday morning whether they would be losing their jobs. Some were placed on a “non-working notice period” extending through November 21, allowing them to search internally for new roles within Meta. Those who ultimately depart the company will receive severance packages offering at least 16 weeks of pay, ET report said. According to a the memo, “during this time, your internal access will be removed, and you do not need to do any additional work for Meta. You may use this time to search for another role at Meta.” Severance pay will include 16 weeks of base pay plus two additional weeks for each completed year at Meta, minus the notice period.
