Meta has begun carrying out a new round of layoffs that will affect around 8,000 workers worldwide, approximately 10% of its workforce. The measure is part of the restructuring process announced in April by the company and is part of the efficiency and artificial intelligence strategy that Mark Zuckerberg has been defending for months as a corporate priority. The first employees to receive the communication were those in Singapore, where the email arrived at 4:00 in the morning, according to reports Bloomberg. The notifications were then sent to workers in Europe and the United States in the early hours of their respective time zones.

The cut coincides with a parallel movement within the organization: Meta has reassigned about 7,000 employees to teams focused on artificial intelligence, including initiatives linked to agents, applications and infrastructure. The company will also leave about 6,000 open positions unfilled, in an attempt to compress operating costs while aggressively increasing its investment in data centers, chips and technological infrastructure for AI. Reuters iIt also informs that Zuckerberg has communicated internally that he does not expect more general layoffs this year, although the formula does not completely eliminate the possibility of new specific adjustments.

The email sent to the affected employees, obtained by Business Insideroffers a brief and deliberately corporate explanation. “As previously shared, we have decided to reduce staff as part of our continued effort to operate the company more efficiently and allow us to offset other investments we are making”points out the communication. The phrase summarizes the tone of a restructuring that the company links to efficiency, but that is interpreted in the market as part of the shift of resources towards artificial intelligence.

The communication informs each worker that their position has been eliminated “as part of the reorganization” and details the conditions of the unworked notice period, the loss of access to internal systems, the temporary maintenance of salary and benefits, external assistance for job search and the conditions of compensation. For regular employees in the United States, the package includes 16 weeks of base salary, two additional weeks for each full year of service and the payment of COBRA health insurance premiums for 18 months, according to the content of the email released.

The symbolic dimension of the process is also in the time and format. That the first layoffs were notified at 4:00 in the morning in Singapore reinforces the image of a global, automated operation, executed by email and organized by time slots. According to various media, Meta asked some employees to work from home on the day of the layoffs, a practice already common in large technological cuts to avoid tense situations in offices and facilitate the removal of internal access.

The adjustment occurs in a context in which large technology companies are trying to justify to investors the sharp increase in spending on artificial intelligence. Meta has significantly raised its infrastructure investment forecasts, mainly in computing capacity, data centers and equipment associated with the development of AI models and products. The workforce reduction thus appears as the other side of the same operation: less structural weight in corporate functions and more resources directed to areas considered strategic.

Meta’s restructuring is also part of a broader trend. In recent months, technology and financial companies have reported cuts, reorganizations or efficiency improvements associated with the deployment of artificial intelligence. In the case of Meta, the scale of the adjustment and the simultaneous relocation of thousands of employees to AI teams make the measure one of the most visible signs of how automation and investment pressure are modifying the internal structures of large corporations.

The email sent by Meta to the affected employees

Below, we reproduce, translated into Spanish, the email sent by Meta to the affected workers:

As previously shared, we have decided to reduce headcount as part of our ongoing effort to operate the company more efficiently and allow us to offset other investments we are making. Unfortunately, your position has been eliminated as part of today’s reorganization. Before sharing additional details, we want to thank you for everything you have contributed to Meta. We appreciate the important role you have played in the company’s history.

We understand you will have questions as you process this news. Please read below for more details. We also encourage you to consult the Alumni Portal (Meta.com/alumni), which can be accessed within one hour of losing access to the systems, and which contains additional information and resources to assist you. More information about the Alumni Portal appears below.

Notice period not worked

From today until (omitted) – your “End Date” – you will be in a “non-worked notice period.” During this time, your internal access will be removed and you will not have to do any additional work for Meta.

You will continue to earn PTO until your End Date, and any remaining PTO will be credited to your last payment at the end of this period. During the notice period, you will receive “Notice Pay”, which you will see reflected in your payslips and which is equivalent to the same amount as your salary.

Leave of absence or leave, if applicable: your employment will end on the End Date communicated to you. Any leave or withdrawal will end on your End Date. Please note that, to the extent applicable, you may continue to receive disability benefits after your date of separation if your disability meets the requirements of the applicable plan.

Your benefits and compensation will continue until your Termination Date.

You will continue to receive your full salary and benefits until your Termination Date, as well as any RSU awards you vested on or before that date, as set forth in the Equity Incentive Plan. To assist you in your job search, you will also have access to three free months of outside job search assistance through Lee Hecht Harrison (“LHH”), as detailed in the attached LHH outplacement services brochure.

Compensation details

Attached is a non-signable version of a Separation Agreement with all the details of your individual package; do not sign this version. A signable Separation Agreement with all the details of your individual package will be sent to your personal email address from (omitted) later today. You must sign your Separation Agreement to receive your compensation payment.

If you do not receive the electronic, signable Separation Agreement in your personal email by the end of the day tomorrow, please check your spam folder. If you still have not received it, open a case through the Alumni Portal.
Note: If you apply for and accept another position with Meta no later than one week before your End Date, you will remain an employee of Meta and this Separation Agreement will be void and you will not be entitled to compensation under the terms of the Severance Plan.

As a regular employee -FTE-, you are eligible for the following compensation offer:

• Severance pay of 16 weeks plus two weeks for each full year of service, less your notice period. Please see the cover page of the attached Separation Agreement for more details on this calculation.
• Payment of COBRA premiums – health insurance – for you and your family, if they are dependents on your current plan, for 18 months.

Immigration, if applicable

We know this is especially difficult for those who have their visa and work authorization sponsored by Meta. The Alumni Portal includes general immigration guidance to help you with your immediate questions. The guide also contains contact information for the assigned law firm. You can also open a case through the Alumni Portal if you have specific questions about your situation.

Access to office systems and information

Since you have entered a period of unpaid, unworked notice, your access card has been deactivated and your access to Meta’s internal systems will be removed this morning. If you are already in the office, we ask that you collect any personal items from your table and return home. If you have personal items that you need to recover, instructions are available in the Alumni Portal.

More information

We know that’s a lot of information to process, so we’ve compiled resources on salary, benefits, and other considerations in the Alumni Portal. You will be able to access the Alumni Portal within one hour of losing access to the systems today, as mentioned above. You will need your Employee ID, which appears at the top of this email, to access the site.

Finally, we want to repeat that we are grateful for your contributions. Your impact on Meta has been an important part of our history.

Sincerely,
Meta Leadership