Meta is reportedly weighing layoffs that could affect at least 20% of its global workforce — roughly 15,800 employees out of the approximately 79,000 it employed as of December 31, 2025 — according to a Reuters report citing three sources familiar with the matter. The company is spending heavily on AI infrastructure and expects <a href="/news/2026-03-14-nyt-ai-coding-assistants-end-of-programming-jobs">AI-assisted employees to absorb workloads</a> that previously required larger headcounts. Meta's spokesperson told Fox Business the report is "speculative" and covers only "theoretical approaches," and the timing and final scope have not been confirmed.
If executed, the layoffs would represent Meta's largest restructuring since its 2022–2023 downsizing cycle, in which the company eliminated approximately 21,000 jobs in two rounds: 11,000 in November 2022 and another 10,000 in early 2023. CEO Mark Zuckerberg branded that period Meta's "Year of Efficiency," and the current deliberations suggest the company may be entering a second, AI-accelerated phase of the same strategy. Reuters reported that top Meta executives have already shared the proposed plans with other senior leaders at the company, indicating the discussions have advanced beyond preliminary stages.
The story fits a wider pattern across Big Tech. Amazon has cited AI efficiency gains in cutting approximately 30,000 white-collar roles across two rounds — around 14,000 in October followed by roughly 16,000 in January — representing nearly 10% of its corporate workforce. At both companies, AI infrastructure investment is being positioned as a direct substitute for human labor at scale, not merely a productivity enhancement layered on top of existing teams. Analysts at Evercore ISI, including senior managing director Mark Mahaney, have flagged Meta alongside Amazon and Alphabet as top Big Tech picks, reflecting investor confidence that near-term cost pressures will translate into long-term margin gains.