Meta Platforms’ (META) stock is up 3% on reports the company is planning to layoff more than 20% of its workforce to help offset its rising spending on artificial intelligence (A.I.).
While the timing and details of the job cuts have not been made public, top executives at the technology company have reportedly been told to start making plans to reduce headcount.
Meta employed about 79,000 employees worldwide at the end of 2025, and the latest layoffs could impact more than 15,000 workers.
The new staff reduction would be the largest round of layoffs at Meta since 2022, when the company eliminated 11,000 positions and paused hiring as part of a cost-cutting strategy.
The new workforce rationalization comes as Meta Platforms plans to spend $135 billion U.S. this year building out it’s A.I. infrastructure, which is double the amount spent in 2025.
Meta is the latest tech giant to announce workforce redundancies linked to A.I.
Block (XYZ) said in February that it is laying off 4,000 employees, and Amazon has eliminated 16,000 jobs this year in an effort to reduce bureaucracy as it too invests heavily in A.I.
Three months into 2026, and A.I. has been cited in over 12,000 job cut announcements in the U.S., according to consulting firm Challenger Gray & Christmas.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that this year will be a major one for A.I. as the company focuses on “building personal super intelligence.”
The stock of Meta Platforms is up 1% over the last 12 months and trading at $613.71 U.S. per share.
