Meta is undergoing a significant restructuring, announcing the layoff of approximately 8,000 employees, which constitutes about 10% of its global workforce. This wave of job cuts is set to commence on May 20th, and it's part of a broader strategy that also includes the cancellation of 6,000 previously open positions. Further reductions are anticipated in the latter half of 2026, potentially impacting another substantial portion of the workforce. The company's HR head, Janelle Gale, communicated these changes internally, citing the need for increased efficiency and to offset significant investments being made elsewhere.
The core driver behind these extensive layoffs is Meta's monumental investment in Artificial Intelligence. The company plans to allocate a staggering $115 billion to $135 billion towards AI infrastructure this year alone. This investment includes building massive AI superclusters and acquiring top-tier AI talent, with some individual engineers reportedly receiving packages worth up to $1.5 billion. These new hires, crucial for Meta's AI ambitions, are distinct from the employees being let go. The company is systematically reorganising its teams into AI-centric 'pods,' creating new roles like 'AI builder' and 'AI pod lead,' with the stated aim of achieving a 'step change in engineering productivity and product quality.' This restructuring marks the third major round of layoffs since 2022, bringing the total number of job cuts to over 33,000.
Adding to the employee unease, Meta is also implementing a workplace surveillance program called the 'Model Capability Initiative.' This initiative involves capturing employee keystrokes, mouse movements, and screenshots on work computers to train AI agents. Employees have reportedly protested this programme internally, and experts have raised concerns about consent and compensation for using employee behaviour as training data. The juxtaposition is stark: remaining employees are tasked with generating the data that will train AI systems, which in turn are designed to replace human roles. This strategy aligns with a broader tech industry trend where companies are cutting traditional roles to redirect resources towards AI development, with Meta's substantial revenue and profit underscoring that the cuts are strategic rather than a result of financial distress.
Fuente Original: https://thenextweb.com/news/meta-layoffs-8000-ai-restructuring-may-2026
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