Meta weighs cuts of more than 20% as AI push intensifies
Meta Platforms is weighing a new round of large-scale layoffs, according to Reuters citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter. The company’s leadership has instructed senior executives to draft plans that would cut more than 20 percent of its staff, though the timing and exact scope have not been decided. Meta declined to comment beyond calling the reports speculative.
Meta employed about 79,000 people at the end of last year. If the proposed 20 percent cut were implemented, it would be the largest reduction since the company’s workforce restructurings in 2022 and 2023.
Facebook’s parent company has already carried out major layoffs in recent years. In November 2022, Meta cut roughly 13 percent of its global staff, about 11,000 workers, and in 2023 it announced additional job cuts totaling around 10,000 positions.
The potential layoffs come as Meta is pouring vast resources into artificial intelligence. The company has signaled a major push into AI, including plans to invest around $600 billion in data-center construction through 2028, even as it seeks to strengthen its competitive position in generative AI.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly offered hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation to attract top AI researchers. Meta last year acquired Moltbook, a social network designed for AI agents, and reports have circulated that it was considering a $2 billion bid for the Chinese AI startup Manus.
The broader U.S. tech sector has also been trimming staff amid AI-driven efficiency gains. Amazon announced in January that it would cut about 16,000 jobs, roughly 10 percent of its workforce. Payments firm Block said it plans to cut more than 4,000 of its 10,000 employees as AI models scale.
Why this matters beyond Korea: Meta’s potential workforce reduction signals how aggressively major platforms are retooling operations around AI, with significant implications for U.S. markets and technology supply chains. If Meta or other large tech firms hedge toward automation and centralized AI capabilities, it could influence cloud demand, data-center competition, and the labor market for skilled AI and software workers in the United States. The moves also reflect the global arms race in AI talent and governance, which bears on investment, regulatory debates, and the pace at which U.S. rivals and collaborators deploy advanced AI technologies.