Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, is reportedly preparing to lay off as many as 8,000 employees in a major round of job cuts starting May 20.
The layoffs are expected to affect nearly 10 percent of Meta’s global workforce. Reports say this may be only the first phase, as the company is also expected to carry out more job cuts in the second half of 2026.
The latest move comes as Meta continues to restructure its operations around artificial intelligence and cost efficiency.
Though the company remains financially strong, it has been reducing layers of management, shifting teams and investing heavily in AI-led productivity.
According to reports, Meta employees in the United States who are affected by the layoffs are expected to receive a severance package that includes 16 weeks of base pay, plus two additional weeks for every year of service.
Healthcare coverage for employees and their families is also expected to continue for 18 months.
However, the mood inside the company is said to be extremely tense. A former Meta employee described the atmosphere before earlier layoffs as almost like “doomsday.”
She said some employees were filling their bags with free office supplies, snacks, drinks and chargers, describing it as a form of “trauma bonding” among workers facing uncertainty.
The fresh layoff reports have triggered concern among employees, especially because more cuts are expected later in the year.
Workers are also reportedly worried about Meta’s growing use of workplace tracking tools and its aggressive shift toward AI-driven restructuring.
Reuters recently reported that some Meta employees in the U.S. had protested against mouse-tracking technology, arguing that such tools could eventually help train systems that may replace human workers.
Meta has already gone through major layoffs in recent years as part of its cost-cutting drive.
The upcoming May 20 job cuts are being seen as one of the company’s biggest workforce reductions since its earlier “year of efficiency” phase.
For employees, the latest round has created fear and uncertainty.
For the tech industry, it is another sign that even highly profitable companies are continuing to cut jobs while pushing deeper into artificial intelligence and automation.
