Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has announced a new staff adjustment that will affect around 8,000 employees, approximately 10% of its global workforce, as part of a deep strategic reorganization focused on artificial intelligence.
The company also plans to eliminate about 6,000 open positions, bringing the total impact of the restructuring to more than 14,000 positions between layoffs and canceled hires, according to internal plans communicated to the staff.
The movement is part of a broader process of transformation of the technology group, which seeks to reorient resources towards the development of advanced artificial intelligence systems, data infrastructure, and new products based on generative models.
A race-linked adjustment for artificial intelligence
The decision reflects the growing pressure within big tech companies to accelerate investments in AI, an area in which Meta competes directly with companies like OpenAI, Google, or Anthropic.
In recent years, the company led by Mark Zuckerberg has significantly increased its spending on infrastructure, data centers, and specialized artificial intelligence talent, in a context where the sector has become the main global technological battlefield.
According to various market estimates, Meta is allocating tens of billions of dollars annually to this transformation process, which has led the company to adjust its internal structure to gain operational efficiency.
Internal restructuring and pressure for efficiency
The layoffs are part of a strategy previously initiated by the company to simplify its organizational structure and reduce intermediate management levels, in parallel to its commitment to automated systems and AI-based tools.
In this context, Meta has been reorganizing key divisions such as Reality Labs and product teams, while reinforcing areas considered strategic for its technological future.
Sources in the sector indicate that the company is seeking a more agile model, with less weight of traditional structures and greater integration of artificial intelligence tools in internal processes.
A common pattern in the tech industry
Meta's move joins a broader trend in the tech sector, where other large companies have made staff cuts while increasing their investment in artificial intelligence.
In recent years, companies like Amazon, Google, or Microsoft have carried out similar restructuring processes, arguing the need to adapt their business models to an environment dominated by automation and generative AI.