Meta began laying off roughly 8,000 employees

Meta has begun laying off approximately 8,000 employees, representing around 10 percent of its global workforce, as part of a strategic pivot toward artificial intelligence. The company sent notifications to affected employees early Wednesday, with Singapore-based workers among the first to receive them. This follows Meta’s April decision to cancel plans to hire 6,000 employees and reassign 7,000 others to AI-focused roles. CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed staff in a memo, acknowledging the difficulty of the cuts while emphasizing Meta’s ambition to deliver 'personal superintelligence' to users worldwide. He stated that no further company-wide layoffs were expected this year but admitted the company had fallen short in communicating with employees. Zuckerberg framed the restructuring as necessary to position Meta as a leader in defining the future of technology. The layoffs mark Meta’s largest workforce reduction since its 2022–2023 'Year of Efficiency' campaign, which eliminated roughly 21,000 positions. The company is significantly increasing its spending on AI infrastructure, with capital expenditures forecasted to reach between $125 billion and $145 billion for 2024—more than double its previous outlay. Separately, Meta employees in the U.S. recently protested the company’s installation of mouse-tracking software on work computers. Flyers distributed at multiple offices urged staff to sign a petition against the technology, which Meta justifies as necessary for training AI models to assist users with everyday computer tasks. The company has defended the move, stating that tracking mouse movements and clicks helps improve AI agents designed to mimic human interactions. The restructuring reflects Meta’s broader shift toward AI development, despite the human cost of workforce reductions. The company’s aggressive investment in AI infrastructure underscores its commitment to competing in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.