A 4 a.m. email has confirmed worries for thousands of Meta employees as the tech giant trims 8,000 roles and reshapes its workforce for an AI driven future.
Meta has started a new round of job cuts that will affect around 8,000 employees—about 10 per cent of its global workforce. The process began early today, that is, 20 May—which ironically is World HR Day—with staff in Singapore receiving emails at 4 a.m. local time.
Reports say the company will notify employees in different regions in waves, depending on time zones. Workers in the US, the UK, and other countries were asked to work from home as the layoffs rolled out.
Janelle Gale, chief people officer, Meta, reportedly said in an internal memo that about 7,000 employees will be reassigned to new teams focused on artificial intelligence (AI). She also confirmed that the company plans to reduce managerial layers and move toward smaller, faster moving teams.
The cuts are expected to hit engineering and product departments hardest, with more layoffs possible later this year. Meta has also closed roughly 6,000 open positions as part of its restructuring.
The company says the changes are meant to make operations leaner and more efficient. Gale explained that Meta is shifting to “flatter structures” where small groups—called pods or cohorts—can take more ownership and move quickly.
The layoffs come as Meta invests billions of dollars in AI projects, signalling a major shift in focus. For employees, however, the news has been unsettling.