Meta has announced plans to lay off 8,000 employees this week, while simultaneously reallocating another 7,000 workers to new roles focused on artificial intelligence (AI). According to reports from Reuters and The New York Times, Janelle Gale, Meta’s head of HR, informed staff that these changes aim to increase productivity and enhance job satisfaction.
The new roles will be organised into four groups centred on developing AI tools and applications. Gale’s internal memo stated that the new structure would adopt an “AI native design,” which will streamline management layers for each employee. Employees were instructed to work from home on May 20, as they awaited notifications about their potential new positions. Some have already been reassigned, while others will be informed about their layoffs.
Earlier in April, Meta announced it would eliminate 8,000 positions and close 6,000 job openings to enhance operational efficiency. Gale indicated this was part of the company’s ongoing strategy to better allocate resources, likely in response to its significant investments in AI. The tech sector has seen similar layoffs as companies shift focus towards AI development.
After moving away from its ambitious metaverse plans, Meta is making a major investment in AI technology, including plans to construct data centres that could consume “tens of gigawatts” of power within this decade. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has assembled a dedicated team of AI professionals and aims to invest between $115 billion and $135 billion this year primarily for AI projects.
The layoffs, which represent nearly 10% of Meta’s workforce, will include a severance package of 16 weeks’ pay, plus an additional two weeks for each year of service. Further job cuts may be expected later this year.
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