Meta plans 8,000 job cuts starting 20 May

TL;DR: Meta Platforms reportedly plans to cut about 8,000 employees, equal to 10% of its workforce, starting on 20 May. CNBC reported additional layoff rounds could follow in August and later in the year. Bloomberg previously reported Meta also cancelled plans to fill 6,000 open roles, while the company raised its 2026 capital expenditure forecast to $125 billion-$145 billion.

Meta Platforms reportedly plans to cut about 8,000 employees starting on 20 May, according to CNBC. The reported cuts equal about 10% of Meta's total workforce, and CNBC said the company may conduct additional layoff rounds in August and later in 2026.

Meta's reported workforce reduction follows comments from CFO Susan Li on the company's Q1 earnings call last month. Li said Meta does not “really know what the optimal size of a company will be in the future” as it pursues its AI plans. Bloomberg also reported last month that Meta cancelled plans to fill 6,000 open roles alongside the employee cuts.

Meta raised its 2026 capital expenditure forecast in Q1 to $125 billion-$145 billion, up from a prior range of $115 billion-$135 billion. The company cited higher component prices and plans to build additional AI infrastructure for future capacity. CNBC also reported employee concern about Meta's Model Capability Initiative, an internal tracking tool that collects mouse movements and keystrokes on company computers to train AI agents for coding and other white-collar tasks.

Related questions

• How many jobs does Meta reportedly plan to cut in May 2026?
• When are Meta's reported layoffs expected to begin?
• What changes did Meta make to its 2026 capital expenditure forecast?
• What is Meta's Model Capability Initiative?