Meta to cut 10% of staff amid record profits and record low morale
Tags AI · Enterprise
Meta is preparing to lay off approximately 10% of its workforce next week, even as the company reports record profits. WIRED spoke with more than a dozen current and former employees who described a workplace where 'everyone is unhappy,' citing burnout, surveillance, and a shift in company culture under Mark Zuckerberg's AI-focused strategy. The layoffs come as Meta continues heavy investment in AI infrastructure and the metaverse, with employees reporting that the company's pivot to AI has created uncertainty about roles and priorities.
Technical significance
Meta's simultaneous record profits and mass layoffs illustrate the restructuring happening across big tech, where companies are reallocating headcount from legacy businesses to AI initiatives. The morale crisis suggests that rapid strategic pivots, combined with surveillance tools, can undermine retention even at well-funded companies. This pattern is being replicated across the industry as firms race to reposition for AI.