Meta begins 8,000 layoffs on May 20, redirects $115-135B toward AI infrastructure

Meta will cut approximately 8,000 employees (10% of its 78,865-person global workforce) starting May 20, 2026, with an additional 6,000 open roles cancelled and further cuts planned for H2 2026. The layoffs, announced via internal memo from Chief People Officer Janelle Gale, are structural rather than performance-based, reorganizing teams into AI-focused pods under Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang's Superintelligence Labs. Meta is redirecting $115-135 billion toward AI infrastructure in 2026. This brings Meta's total headcount reduction since 2022 to approximately 25,000. The tech sector has recorded more than 73,000 job cuts across 95 companies in the first four months of 2026.