Zuckerberg says Meta layoffs tied to AI spending, won't rule out future cuts
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced layoffs of approximately 8,000 employees, about 10% of Meta’s workforce, as part of increased investment in artificial intelligence. The cuts began May 20, following prior layoffs of 11,000 in November 2022 and another 10,000 in November 2023. Zuckerberg stated these layoffs are driven by higher spending on compute infrastructure and AI tools, reducing available capital for other areas. He emphasized that the cuts are not tied to Meta’s shift toward an AI-native structure but rather efficiency improvements. Zuckerberg also noted that while he cannot predict future job cuts definitively, the company is tracking employee activity to train AI systems. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, currently employs nearly 79,000 people. Internal criticism has arisen over these layoffs and the monitoring of employee behavior.
Source: Fox Business