Meta is laying off hundreds of workers, according to a person familiar with the company’s plans, adding another wave of layoffs in big tech amid huge spending on artificial intelligence.
The cuts affect teams at Reality Labs, Facebook, global operations, recruiting and sales. The Reality Labs division previously had 10% layoffs announced in January as the company continued to pivot away from the metaverse to artificial intelligence.
“Teams across Meta regularly restructure or implement changes to ensure they’re in the best position to achieve their goals. Where possible, we are finding other opportunities for employees whose positions may be impacted,” a company spokesperson said.
Meta, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, employed 79,000 people at the end of 2025.
The company pushed back on a Reuters report earlier this month that stated 20% of the company could be laid off, with a spokesperson calling it a “speculative report about theoretical approaches.”
Meta plans to spend $115 billion to $135 billion in capital expenditures this year, much of it on AI and almost doubling Meta’s $72 billion in spending last year.
Separately, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google’s YouTube liable on Wednesday for being a “substantial factor” in causing harm in a first-of-its-kind social media addiction trial. A 20-year-old woman sued the companies over her social media use as a child, which she said worsened her mental health. The jury awarded her $3 million in damages, which is expected to grow because the companies were found to have acted with malice. Meta said it disagreed with the verdict and was evaluating its options.