‘Owner of WhatsApp, Facebook Instagram to fire 8,000 employees’:AI-led tech layoffs continue; LinkedIn to cut 600 jobs

News agency ANI said on Wednesday, 20 May, 2026, that according to a report by NBC News, Meta is planning a major restructuring exercise that includes layoffs affecting nearly 10% of its workforce. Additionally, the owner of WhatsApp, Facebook Instagram will also shif around 7,000 employees into AI-focused roles. Meta to fire 8,000 employees: Reports According to the NBC News report, as part of the restructuring, around 8,000 employees are expected to be laid off, while nearly 6,000 open positions will remain unfilled. Janelle Gale, Meta’s head of people, had said earlier in an April memo, “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.
“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 details regarding the layoffs and restructuring through emails. During the company’s first-quarter 2026 earnings call, Meta Chief Financial Officer Susan Li said the company is focusing heavily on using AI tools to improve productivity and engineering output. Employee count: Meta employed 77,986 workers as of the end of March 2026, compared with 86,482 employees in 2022. Meta investing heavily on AI Meta has also increased its 2026 capital expenditure guidance to $125 billion-$145 billion from $115 billion-$135 billion, citing higher component pricing and additional data centre costs linked to AI expansion. Stocks come under pressure Meta’s stock has declined nearly 9% this year and has fallen almost 10% since its April earnings announcement. LinkedIn to layoff 600 employees: New York Post Meanwhile, according to another report by the New York Post, LinkedIn has announced layoffs affecting more than 600 employees, said the news agency.