Meta employees are facing a tense countdown. On May 20, the company is expected to issue layoff notices to about 7,800 workers, that is about 10 per cent of its global workforce of more than 77,000. That leaves just over two weeks for staff to wait and wonder if their jobs will survive.
Internal messages have confirmed the cuts, sparking anxiety across teams. While Meta insists its overall business remains strong, leadership is pushing hard to control costs and redirect spending. Billions are being poured into artificial intelligence projects and infrastructure, reshaping priorities inside the company.
For executives, the move is about strategy and future growth. For employees, it feels like a fight for survival. The looming layoffs highlight the growing tension between Meta’s ambitious technology investments and the human impact of those decisions.
Meanwhile, in Kenya, tech outsourcing firm Sama recently announced plans to cut more than 1,100 jobs after Meta formally ended a major contract at its Nairobi office. The decision follows a long-running legal battle that began in 2022, when former Facebook content moderators accused Meta and Sama of poor working conditions, low pay, and inadequate mental health support.
Sama has since shifted its focus away from content moderation, moving instead into services such as AI data labelling. However, with Meta’s exit, the company said it had no choice but to issue a layoff notice affecting about 1,108 employees.
Sama has revealed that it is lending all the support possible to the impacted employees through the transition and that the terminations are being handled with respect.