Meta Cuts 8000 Jobs While Offering Generous Severance Packages

Massive Workforce Reduction Hits Tech Giant

Meta has launched a wave of layoffs affecting 10 percent of the company's global workforce, representing about 8,000 people . The cuts began on Wednesday and are planned to occur in three waves, starting at 4am local time for those affected . The layoffs are part of a broader corporate transition to transform Meta into an artificial intelligence company .

Workers affected so far include those on the company's integrity team – the group in charge of removing malicious content and hate speech – as well as members of the company's cybersecurity teams and content design division . In addition to the cuts, the parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram said it would cancel plans to hire 6,000 people and shift 7,000 other employees into artificial intelligence workflow-related roles .

Substantial Severance Benefits Ease the Blow

Workers in the United States will receive 16 weeks of severance pay, in addition to an extra two weeks for every year they have been employed at the company . Several staffers told WIRED they are openly hoping to be laid off, if only to collect the 16 weeks of severance and 18 months of paid health care that come with it .

The generous severance package reflects Meta's attempt to maintain goodwill during a difficult transition. For employees with longer tenure, the compensation could extend well beyond the standard 16-week minimum, making the layoffs financially attractive to some workers who were already considering leaving the company.

Employee Discontent Runs Deeper Than Layoffs

Employees are still rankled by Meta's decision in February to cut the stock portion of annual raises by 5%, on top of a 10% trim the year before. According to WIRED, median total compensation at Meta fell from $417,400 in 2024 to $388,200 last year . According to one Instagram employee, "everyone is unhappy; the only people who are not unhappy are, literally, executives" .

Meanwhile, Zuckerberg has been busy personally recruiting AI researchers with reported nine-figure compensation packages — some reaching $100 million — to staff Meta Superintelligence Labs . In April, Meta also began deploying surveillance software, called the Model Capability Initiative, on U.S. employees' work laptops. According to CNBC, the program captures keystrokes, clicks, mouse movements and periodic screenshots from apps like Gmail and Slack to train AI agents capable of mimicking human workflows .

Tech Industry Transformation Accelerates

In a memo first reported by Bloomberg, Meta's chief people officer Janelle Gale told staff the layoffs would help to "run the company more efficiently" and "offset the other investments we're making." Meta CFO Susan Li echoed that sentiment during the company's Q1 earnings call, saying a "leaner operating model" would help offset the company's massive capital expenditures, particularly around artificial intelligence .

A recent Goldman Sachs survey found that AI-driven layoffs equate to more than 16,000 payroll cuts per month this year . Microsoft, Block, Coinbase, and Pinterest are among the other companies that have announced plans for mass layoffs in recent months . The trend suggests that Meta's restructuring is part of a broader industry shift where companies are prioritizing AI development over traditional workforce models, fundamentally reshaping how tech companies operate and compete in an increasingly automated landscape.