Meta Platforms Inc. cut 10% of its global workforce and transferred 7,000 employees to AI-related initiatives, while Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg told staff he did not expect more company-wide layoffs this year.
Zuckerberg made the statement in an internal memo on Wednesday, Reuters reported. “I want to be clear that we do not expect other company-wide layoffs this year,” he wrote, while acknowledging that Meta had fallen short in employee communication.
The Facebook owner carried out the restructuring to increase spending on artificial intelligence and shift both products and internal workflows toward AI agents, Reuters reported. Meta declined to comment on the memo.
The layoffs and transfers announced this week affect about 20% of Meta’s workforce. Some transfers had already taken place, while other employees were notified on Wednesday.
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Employees reacted cautiously to Zuckerberg’s wording, with some internal comments quoting the terms “company-wide” and “expect,” Reuters reported. One employee wrote that things sometimes happen “unexpectedly.”
The changes follow earlier Reuters reporting that Meta was planning additional deep cuts later this year. Business Insider reported that Zuckerberg’s latest message left room for possible team-specific reductions even as he ruled out further company-wide layoffs.