It’s starting to look like 2026 is going to be another tough year for tech employees. Meta Platforms is quietly preparing for a major round of layoffs, and this time, it’s not just a small trim — it’s a deep reset tied directly to artificial intelligence.

First Big Cut Coming Soon

According to a Reuters report, the company is planning its first wave of layoffs around May 20. The number being discussed internally? Around 10% of its global workforce.

That roughly translates to close to 8,000 employees.

And this is just the beginning.

Sources say more job cuts are expected later in 2026, though the exact scale and timing of those layoffs haven’t been locked yet. So basically, what we’re seeing now is phase one — not the full picture.

AI Is Driving the Decisions

At the center of all this is one thing: AI.

Mark Zuckerberg has been aggressively pushing Meta toward an AI-first future. The company is investing huge amounts — we’re talking hundreds of billions — to reshape how it operates internally.

And that shift comes with consequences.

The idea is simple (and a bit harsh): fewer people, more automation, more AI-powered systems doing the work that once needed entire teams.

Meta is even restructuring internally to support this. Engineers are being moved into a new “Applied AI” division focused on building advanced AI agents — tools that can write code and handle complex tasks on their own.

Which clearly signals where things are heading.

Not Just Meta — A Bigger Industry Trend

This isn’t happening in isolation.

Other big players are doing similar things. Amazon has already cut tens of thousands of corporate jobs recently. Fintech firm Block Inc. reportedly slashed nearly half its workforce.

In most of these cases, the reasoning sounds familiar — AI is making operations more efficient, so fewer employees are needed.

And the numbers across the industry are stacking up. Over 73,000 tech employees have already lost jobs this year alone, and that number keeps rising.

Meta Isn’t in Trouble — It’s Changing Shape

What makes this situation different from earlier layoffs is that Meta isn’t struggling financially right now.

The company is actually in a strong position. It generated over $200 billion in revenue last year and around $60 billion in profit. Its stock is also up slightly this year, even if it hasn’t matched last year’s peak.

So this isn’t about survival.

It’s about transformation.

Back in 2022–2023, Meta called its layoffs the “year of efficiency” and cut about 21,000 jobs. That was during a rough patch after pandemic-era over-expansion.

This time, though, it feels more calculated — less panic, more planning.

What Changes Inside the Company

Internally, Meta is already reshaping teams.

Its Reality Labs division has been reorganized, and a new unit focused on small businesses has been created. Some employees might be moved there instead of being laid off, but it won’t offset the scale of cuts being planned.

The long-term vision seems clear: fewer management layers, leaner teams, and heavy reliance on AI tools.

What This Means Going Forward

If this plays out the way insiders suggest, Meta’s workforce could look very different by the end of 2026.

Not just smaller — but structured around AI at its core.

For employees, it’s uncertainty. For the company, it’s evolution.

And for the tech industry as a whole… this might just be the new normal.