Meta reshuffles 7,000 workers into AI teams before fresh job cuts

Meta is carrying out another major workforce overhaul as the company intensifies its push into artificial intelligence.

Just days before a fresh wave of layoffs, the tech giant informed employees that around 7,000 workers would be reassigned to newly created AI-focused teams as part of a broader restructuring effort.

The move comes at a tense moment inside the company, with thousands of employees bracing for job cuts expected later this week. Meta has already spent the past two years streamlining operations and reducing costs, but its growing focus on AI is now reshaping both its structure and priorities more dramatically than ever before.

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Meta’s focus on AI

In an internal memo first reported by The New York Times, Meta’s head of human resources, Janelle Gale, stated that employees would be moved into four new organisations dedicated to building AI-powered products and services. According to the memo, the new teams will follow “AI-native design structures” and operate with fewer managers overseeing employees compared to other parts of the company.

The restructuring is part of a much larger shift under Mark Zuckerberg, who has increasingly positioned artificial intelligence as the future of Meta’s business. The company, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, is investing heavily in AI infrastructure and data centres to compete with companies such as Google, OpenAI and Anthropic.

Earlier this year, Zuckerberg told investors that Meta planned to spend between $115 billion and $135 billion in 2026, with much of that investment tied directly to AI development. At the same time, the company has quietly scaled back parts of its metaverse ambitions, which were once promoted as Meta’s defining long-term vision.

Employees are also reportedly being encouraged to use AI tools more frequently in their daily work, with AI adoption now forming part of performance evaluations in some teams. In recent weeks, workers have also raised concerns internally over the company’s use of employee data to train AI systems.

Meta and industry-wide layoffs

The restructuring announcement arrives shortly before Meta begins another round of layoffs expected to impact around 8,000 employees, roughly 10 per cent of its workforce.

Employees were reportedly instructed to work remotely on the day layoffs are announced, while notification emails are expected to be sent at 4am local time, reports NYT.

According to the memo, US employees affected by the cuts will receive 16 weeks of severance pay, along with an additional two weeks for every year worked at Meta.

Meta’s actions reflect a wider trend across the technology industry, where companies are reducing headcount while redirecting resources towards AI.

Recently, Cisco announced plans to cut 4,000 jobs as it expanded AI investments. Microsoft, Block and Coinbase have also reorganised operations in response to the growing influence of artificial intelligence across the sector.