Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, is cutting more jobs in California as it ramps up its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. According to state filings, 124 positions will be eliminated in Burlingame and 74 in Sunnyvale, with the layoffs taking effect in late May. These job cuts follow approximately 700 job cuts announced in March and the elimination of approximately 1,500 roles from the Reality Labs division earlier this year.
The company said some affected employees may be offered alternative roles but may need to be reassigned. A Meta spokesperson said the restructuring was routine and efforts were being made to find alternative opportunities for affected staff.
The man behind the layoffs is Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who is betting aggressively on AI. Meta is spending $115 billion to $135 billion this year on data centers and servers to power its advanced AI systems, a significant increase from last year. Operating expenses are also increasing due to rising wages for technical personnel.
Despite the layoffs, Meta’s overall workforce increased slightly in 2025, ending the year with approximately 79,000 employees.
According to reports, Meta is considering even larger cuts, which could affect up to 20% of its workforce. That would be the company’s biggest layoff since 2022, when it cut 11,000 jobs. While Meta has dismissed such reports as speculation, the possibility highlights the tension between the company’s AI ambitions and the stability of its workforce.
So far, the meta has continued to hire in key roles but cut others, indicating a shift in priorities. The company is betting that AI will change the way people work, even as thousands of employees face uncertainty about the future.
