Meta Platforms has announced another round of job cuts, with nearly 200 employees in California’s Silicon Valley set to be laid off in late May 2026. The layoff plans come amid the company’s aggressive investment in AI infrastructure and ongoing efforts to improve operational efficiency.
According to filings with California’s Employment Development Department (EDD), Meta plans to eliminate 124 positions at its Burlingame office and 74 positions at its Sunnyvale facility. These cuts, which amount to a total of 198 roles, are permanent and will take effect on May 22 in Burlingame and May 29 in Sunnyvale.
This latest wave of layoffs adds to the roughly 700 job reductions Meta carried out in March 2026, which primarily affected recruiting, sales, operations, and Reality Labs divisions. Earlier in January 2026, the company had already slashed around 1,500 positions in its Reality Labs (AR/VR) unit.
Additionally, in 2026 alone, Meta has eliminated over 500 jobs in California alone through various restructuring efforts.
Why is Meta laying off aggressively
The layoffs align with CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s vision for 2026 as “the year that AI starts to dramatically change the way that we work.” Meta is significantly ramping up spending on AI, with capital expenditures projected to reach between $115 billion and $135 billion in 2026 — a 75% increase from the previous year. This massive expense is largely reserved for building data centres, servers, and other AI-related infrastructure.
At the same time, the company is flattening organisational structures and using AI tools to boost productivity across teams. While Meta continues to hire for critical technical roles, it is actively restructuring to align with its long-term AI priorities.
A Meta spokesperson said, “Teams across Meta regularly restructure or implement changes to ensure they’re in the best position to achieve their goals. Where possible, we are finding other opportunities for employees whose positions may be impacted.”
Affected employees may be offered alternative roles within the company, though some of these could require relocation.
Meta restructuring or cost-cutting?
Meta’s headcount stood at approximately 78,865 at the end of 2025, reflecting a modest 6% year-over-year increase. However, the company has been on a cost-cutting and efficiency drive since late 2022, when it laid off around 11,000 employees (roughly 13% of its workforce) in one of the largest tech layoffs at the time.
Recent reports have speculated that Meta could be considering even larger reductions of up to 20% of its workforce in the coming months, though the company has described such claims as “speculative” and not reflective of any final decisions.