Meta Layoffs 2026: Mark Zuckerberg May Have Given The Best Severance Package For The 8,000 Employees Fired Recently
Meta announced layoffs affecting around 8,000 employees globally starting May 20, 2026, as the company refocuses on AI development. The severance packages, including 16 weeks of base pay and 18 months of healthcare, are reportedly more generous than those offered by competitors like Block and Amazon.
Meta has begun laying off approximately 8,000 employees worldwide as part of a restructuring aimed at accelerating AI development. The job cuts, which started on May 20, 2026, primarily impact engineering, product, and management teams across Asia, Europe, and North America. CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated in an internal memo that no further company-wide layoffs are expected this year, though the company is reassigning over 7,000 workers to AI-focused teams. The severance packages for affected US employees include 16 weeks of base salary plus two additional weeks for every year worked, along with 18 months of healthcare coverage for employees and their families. This exceeds previous Meta severance terms and rivals or surpasses offers from competitors like Block, which provided 20 weeks of pay and six months of healthcare. Meta’s restructuring coincides with a major push into AI, with projected capital expenditures for 2026 ranging between $125 billion and $145 billion. The company aims to create a 'flatter structure' with smaller, more agile teams, according to Meta’s Head of People, Janelle Gale. Employee concerns have grown over Meta’s increasing reliance on AI, including proposals to collect workplace device data for training purposes. Over 1,000 employees signed an internal petition opposing such measures. The layoffs and AI initiatives reflect Meta’s strategic shift amid intense competition from tech firms like Google, OpenAI, and Microsoft.
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