Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, is cutting more jobs in California as it doubles down on artificial intelligence (AI). State filings show 124 positions in Burlingame and 74 in Sunnyvale are being eliminated, with the layoffs taking effect in late May. These cuts follow about 700 job losses announced in March and nearly 1,500 roles removed from its Reality Labs division earlier this year.
The company says some affected employees may be offered alternative roles, though relocation could be required. Meta’s spokesperson explained that restructuring is routine and that efforts are being made to find other opportunities for impacted staff.
Behind the job cuts is Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Meta, whose aggressive bet on AI. Meta is spending between $115 billion and $135 billion this year, a sharp increase from last year, mostly on data centres and servers to power advanced AI systems. Operating expenses are also rising, driven by higher pay for technical talent.
Despite the layoffs, Meta’s overall headcount grew slightly in 2025, ending the year with nearly 79,000 employees.
Reports suggest Meta may consider even larger reductions, potentially affecting up to 20% of its workforce. If that happens, it would mark the company’s biggest round of layoffs since 2022, when 11,000 jobs were cut. Meta has dismissed such reports as speculative, but the possibility underscores the tension between its AI ambitions and workforce stability.
For now, Meta continues to hire for critical roles while trimming elsewhere, signalling a shift in priorities. The company is betting that AI will transform how people work, even as thousands of employees face uncertainty about their future.
