META LAYOFFS: Meta is laying off up to 200 employees in the US as part of its big push into AI. These job cuts don’t affect Meta’s global offices, just the US teams.
On top of that, Meta’s also phasing out traditional middle manager roles. The company wants flatter, faster teams, so it’s dropping the legacy “manager” positions and hiring “org leads” instead for mid-to-senior roles.
Why Is Meta Laying Off 200 Employees in the US?
This round of layoffs comes as Meta ramps up its AI efforts. According to an ET CIO report, Meta is letting go of about 124 people in Burlingame and 74 in Sunnyvale. All of this takes effect by the end of May.
Back in January, Meta already cut 10 percent of its Reality Labs staff, roughly 1,500 people, so it could redirect resources toward AI projects.
At the same time, reports say Meta’s moving away from its old-school management structure. Now, within Reality Labs, employees get new titles like AI builder, pod lead, or org lead instead of “manager.” The idea is to trim the fat and lean into an “AI-native” organisation.
Meta’s Workforce Overhaul Explained
Job listings on Indeed show that hiring for middle managers in 2025 has dropped by over 12 percent from last year. This lines up with Meta’s shift in job titles for employees.
That said, it’s still unclear if these new titles come with different responsibilities or if it’s just a rebranding exercise. The AI builder title probably means more hands-on AI work, but Meta hasn’t laid out the details yet.
A spokesperson told The New York Post that teams at Meta regularly shake things up to stay on track and hit their goals. When people lose their jobs, the company tries to find new spots for them if it makes sense.
Inside Meta’s Big Shift Towards AI
At the same time, Meta keeps hiring for essential positions, with headcount going up 6% year-over-year. As of December 31, 2025, they had 78,865 employees.
All this is happening as Meta pushes to ditch labour-heavy work and switch over to machine-driven systems, mostly powered by AI. They’re planning to pour $10 billion into a new data centre in El Paso, Texas.
Mark Zuckerberg called 2022 to 2023 Meta’s “year of efficiency.” During that stretch, the company cut around 20,000 jobs to streamline its operations.
