Preparation for massive layoffs in Meta, 8000 employees in danger; AI focus became the reason

New Delhi: Tech giant Meta Platforms is once again preparing for mass layoffs. According to reports, the company may fire thousands of employees in the coming weeks, which has created a stir in the tech industry. It is being told that the first phase of retrenchment may start from May 20.

This possible move may affect approximately 8,000 employees initially. At the same time, the total number of affected employees is expected to increase to 16,000 in the coming months. This decision is being taken at a time when the company is rapidly increasing its focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI).

8000 employees affected in the first phase

According to reports, the first phase of layoffs is likely to affect around 10 percent of Meta’s global workforce. Although the company has not yet officially confirmed this, but according to sources, more jobs may be cut in the future.

Increased focus on AI, workforce structure will change

It is being told that the company is adapting its organization according to the AI-driven future. Meta officials are finalizing the layoff strategy based on employee productivity and advances in AI.

Mark Zuckerberg has already made it clear many times that the company’s goal is to become a leader in the field of Artificial Intelligence. For this, Meta is planning large-scale investment, which includes data centre, chip and software development.

$135 billion investment plan

According to the report, the company is planning to invest about $135 billion this year, a large part of which will be spent on AI-related infrastructure. Under this change, teams are being reorganized and employees are being deployed on new AI projects.

Major layoffs have already taken place

Even before this, large scale layoff of employees has taken place in Meta. In the years 2022 and 2023, the company had fired about 21,000 employees. That period was known as ‘Year of Efficiency’, in which the company emphasized on streamlining its operations and reducing expenses.

Effect visible in tech industry too

Meta is not the only company making such changes. Due to the increasing influence of AI in the entire tech industry, companies are re-structuring their workforce.

Amazon, for example, has eliminated nearly 30,000 corporate positions in recent months. At the same time, fintech company Block has also reduced the number of its employees.

More than 73,000 employees have been laid off

According to data from Layoffs.fyi, so far this year, more than 73,000 tech employees have been laid off from 95 companies around the world. It is clear from this that a period of change is going on in the tech sector.