has begun notifying employees about a fresh round of job cuts that will affect nearly 8,000 workers globally, with staff in Singapore, one of the company’s largest Asian hubs, among the first to receive layoff notices on Wednesday morning, according to reports by Bloomberg and The Business Times.
The latest are part of Facebook’s parent company’s broader restructuring strategy as it ramps up spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure and AI-driven products while attempting to streamline operations and cut costs across several business units.
Bloomberg reported that employees in Singapore began receiving notifications as early as 4 AM local time, while workers in the United States and Europe are expected to be informed in their respective time zones in the coming days.
The report added that the layoffs are spread across multiple departments, including engineering, product development, operations and support functions.
According to The Business Times, the retrenchment exercise is expected to primarily affect teams not directly linked to Meta’s expanding AI business. The publication reported that the company has simultaneously been hiring aggressively for AI-focused roles, including engineers working on AI agents, recommendation systems and large language model infrastructure.
Meta had nearly 80,000 employees globally at the end of March before the latest restructuring began, Bloomberg reported. The report further stated that around 7,000 workers have already been internally reassigned into newly created AI-focused divisions as part of Chief Executive Officer ’s broader push to make AI the company’s central long-term business strategy.
In an internal memo reviewed by Bloomberg, Meta’s Head of People, Janelle Gale, reportedly told employees that the company aims to create “a flatter structure with smaller teams” that can move faster and operate more efficiently. The memo reportedly described the restructuring as part of a larger effort to improve execution speed and increase accountability across teams.
The Business Times reported that analysts estimate the layoffs could help Meta save nearly US$3 billion annually in operating costs. However, the company’s spending on infrastructure, including data centres and advanced chips, is also projected to surge sharply this year, with estimates suggesting Meta could spend as much as US$145 billion on AI-related investments.
The latest round of cuts adds to multiple layoffs Meta has announced since 2022 under Zuckerberg’s “year of efficiency” strategy. The company had previously eliminated more than 20,000 jobs across separate restructuring rounds as slowing digital advertising growth and rising operational costs forced major technology firms to reassess hiring and spending patterns after the pandemic-era boom.
Industry analysts told Bloomberg that Meta’s latest restructuring reflects a broader trend across the global technology sector, in which companies are increasingly reallocating resources toward artificial intelligence while reducing headcount in traditional business units.
