Meta is poised to execute a major round of redundancies tomorrow, May 20, 2026, with expectations that the tech giant will axe around 8,000 roles, representing roughly 10 per cent of its global workforce. However, a leaked internal memo suggests the company simultaneously plans to reassign 7,000 employees into newly formed artificial intelligence teams.
According to a report from Reuters, Meta circulated a memo to staff on Monday outlining both the job cuts and a significant organisational restructuring. Meta’s Chief People Officer, Janelle Gale, indicated that the firm intends to scale back on managerial positions whilst transitioning the 7,000 affected employees into AI-focused divisions. Gale noted that as leaders developed these changes, many incorporated AI-native design principles to allow organisations to operate with flatter structures and smaller, more agile teams that can operate with greater ownership.
Business Insider reports that affected staff will receive redundancy notifications in three distinct waves starting at 4 am local time. This early-morning approach echoes a previous move by Oracle, which emailed affected workers at 6 am during its own global reduction of 30,000 roles. In total, the redundancies and internal transfers scheduled for Wednesday will impact about 20 per cent of Meta’s workforce, which currently stands at just under 78,000. Employees based in North America have reportedly been instructed to work from home on the day of the announcement.
Internal morale at Meta has reportedly hit a low ebb ahead of the changes, with some staff jokingly hoarding free office snacks before Wednesday's formal announcements. This restructuring forms part of a broader overhaul led by Mark Zuckerberg as the company aggressively ramps up its AI spending. Following an initial announcement last month, Meta has already closed roughly 6,000 open vacancies, and rumours persist that an additional 8,000 job cuts could follow in the near future.
The internal initiatives receiving the reassigned staff include Applied AI Engineering and Agent Transformation Accelerator XFN—two groups previously highlighted by Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth under Meta’s ‘AI for Work’ strategy. These teams are tasked with developing AI agents capable of autonomously executing tasks traditionally handled by human workers. Other employees will be moved to Central Analytics to focus on productivity metrics and agent development, whilst details on another initiative, Enterprise Solutions, are expected to be shared shortly.
Beyond external products, Meta is increasingly deploying AI internally. The company has introduced new mouse-tracking software to monitor employee keystrokes and movements to help train its AI models, a move that has already prompted a backlash, with around 1,000 employees signing a petition against the surveillance. The company is also heavily investing in agentic AI tools and digital avatars, with Mark Zuckerberg even rumoured to have created an AI clone of himself to interact with staff.
Also read: AI can translate instantly: Should you stop learning languages?
Follow us
