Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has confirmed that it will cut around 8,000 jobs starting 20 May 2026, affecting 10% of its global workforce, Bloomberg reported. The executives have framed the move as a push for structural efficiency tied to the company's fast-moving AI ambitions. In addition, a hiring freeze for thousands of affected roles will run alongside the cuts.
The scale of this layoff puts it among the largest single-round tech layoffs of 2026, and it arrives at a time when Meta's core business looks anything but troubled. Meta is on track to surpass Google as the world's largest digital advertising platform in 2026, with ad revenue forecast at $243.46 billion, according to the Los Angeles Times.
