As Meta lays off 10%, 7,000 employees will be moved into AI roles, source says

Meta is moving 7,000 employees into roles focused on artificial intelligence and consolidating them into four new organizations, according to a source familiar with the matter. The shift is part of a broader reorganization that is expected to be announced Wednesday, which will include layoffs affecting 10% of the company.

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The changes, which Meta first detailed in an internal memo in April , will include laying off about 8,000 employees and not filling approximately 6,000 open positions. Meta previously confirmed the April memo’s authenticity to NBC News.

“We’re doing this as part of our continued effort to run the company more efficiently and to allow us to offset the other investments we’re making,” Janelle Gale, now Meta’s head of people, said in the April memo to employees. “This is not an easy tradeoff and it will mean letting go of people who have made meaningful contributions to Meta during their time here.”

Affected employees are expected to receive an email with details on the layoffs and reorganization early Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter said, noting that notifications could vary by region.

The changes are the latest in a string of structural decisions at the company leaning into AI while trimming other parts of the sprawling company, which includes Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The trend is one that’s been seen across Silicon Valley and corporate America as AI has been perceived to have continued upside and the potential for monumental change across industries.

Meta laid off hundreds of employees in March, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News. Those cuts affected at least five departments, including its Reality Labs virtual reality division, and were part of a larger reorganization. Facebook social teams, sales, recruiting and global operations were also affected.

During a first-quarter 2026 earnings call last month, Chief Financial Officer Susan Li spoke to the shift toward AI.

“We’re very focused on leveraging AI tools to substantially increase our productivity, and we’re seeing that reflected in the accelerating output from our engineers,” she said. “So I think we will be continuously evaluating how we’re structured just to make sure we’re best set up to deliver against our priorities over the coming years.”

In April the company said it was increasing 2026 capital expenditures to $125 billion-$145 billion, from $115 billion-$135 billion. The higher amount was attributed to “expectations for higher component pricing this year and, to a lesser extent, additional data center costs to support future year capacity,” according to Meta’s first-quarter 2026 report.

Investors, though, might still have their reservations.

Meta’s stock is down nearly 9% for the year, which puts the company in fifth place among the “Magnificent 7” tech companies in terms of growth for the year, only ahead of Tesla and Microsoft.

Meanwhile, since Meta reported earnings at the end of April, the company has seen a nearly 10% slump.

After Meta reported first-quarter 2026 earnings, analysts at JPMorgan Chase downgraded Meta shares and said they think “Meta has a more challenging path to returns” compared with its rivals in the AI race.

At Bank of America, analysts warned that Meta’s moves might not be “sustainable long-term.”

“Meta is investing even more in capacity for AI capabilities, and reducing headcount to make room for added expenses,” Bank of America analysts said. “This AI investment cycle is proving to be bigger than expected, and returns are less clear vs Cloud providers.”

Meta employed 77,986 workers as of the end of March 2026, down from its high of 86,482 in 2022.