US-based tech giant company Meta Platforms is laying off around seven hundred people across multiple teams consisting of its Reality Labs division on Wednesday, as per a source told Reuters.
As per the media report, the layoffs impacted employees in Reality Labs, which is the unit responsible for virtual reality and metaverse development, as well as teams recruiting, sales, and Facebook.
Reuters reported earlier this month that Meta was planning sweeping layoffs that could affect 20% or more of the company’s workforce, and that top executives had signaled the plans to other senior leaders and told them to begin planning how to pare back.
Wednesday’s layoffs (25th March 2026) were on a smaller scale. According to an earlier report in The Information, the cuts would affect Meta’s Reality Labs division, social media teams and recruiting operations.
“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,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.
The Facebook parent is seeking to offset rising costs tied to massive investments in artificial intelligence, having forecast total expenses of $162 billion to $169 billion in 2026, and rising employee compensation as the company spends millions to hire top AI talent.
Meta had nearly 79,000 employees as of December 31, according to its annual filing.
Layoff’s pay incentives
The latest layoffs were announced just hours after Meta introduced a new stock option programme for its top executives.
The new programme could boost compensation for select leaders by as much as $921 million, which is roughly around Rs 8,660 crore each over the next five years, contingent on the company achieving a $9 trillion market capitalisation by 2031.
The company has said that the incentives are designed to retain leadership talent and align compensation with long-term growth goals. However, CEO Mark Zuckerberg is not part of this programme.
(Input from Agency)
Syed Ziyauddin is a media and international relations enthusiast with a strong academic and professional foundation. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media from Jamia Millia Islamia and a Master’s in International Relations (West Asia) from the same institution.
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