At LlamaCon 2025, an AI developer conference in Menlo Park, California, Meta unveiled a major reorganization on April 29, 2025. This restructuring, announced through an internal memo last month, aims to reduce the workforce while enhancing focus on artificial intelligence.
The parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp plans to lay off approximately 10% of its workforce, impacting around 8,000 employees in May. Company spokesperson Erica Sackin confirmed to NPR that affected employees have already been notified.
In addition to the layoffs, another 7,000 Meta employees will transition to new roles dedicated to AI projects. A source with knowledge of the situation explained, “To focus more on AI, they are moving 7,000 people to teams that concentrate on AI projects.” However, Sackin did not disclose which specific teams would experience growth or reduction as a result of this shift.
This move was initially reported by Reuters, citing an internal memo about the creation of four new teams dedicated to building AI tools and applications. Though NPR has not independently confirmed these details, the reassignments align with Meta’s broader strategy.
Meta, along with other large tech firms, is investing significantly in AI, offering attractive compensation packages to acquire top talent and constructing multibillion-dollar data centers. The company seeks to catch up with competitors like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google in the AI sector.
In January, Meta projected that its capital expenditures this year would nearly double last year’s spending, reflecting the intensified focus on AI. This reorganization is part of a trend among tech companies, which have announced job cuts and a stronger emphasis on AI in recent months.
The reorganization happens amidst a challenging period for Meta. The company has been scaling back its virtual reality “Metaverse,” previously championed by CEO Mark Zuckerberg since its introduction in 2021. Additionally, Meta has faced legal setbacks in court cases in New Mexico and California, where it was accused of negatively impacting young people’s mental health through its platforms.
In June, Meta will again face legal challenges. The company, along with other tech firms, is scheduled to attend court due to lawsuits filed by school districts. These lawsuits allege that social media companies played a role in causing a mental health and social media addiction crisis among students.