Meta Cuts 10% of Staff to Fund AI Push

Meta is cutting roughly 10% of its global workforce, a move the company framed as a way to fund its growing AI investments. The layoffs mark one of the largest headcount reductions at Meta since the 2022 cuts that eliminated about 11,000 jobs. The company has been pouring money into AI infrastructure, data centers, and model development. Rather than raise external capital or slow that spending, Meta chose to reduce its payroll costs instead. The logic is straightforward: cutting staff frees up billions that can be redirected toward compute and research budgets. Meta's stock fell on the news, suggesting investors are uncertain whether the cost savings will offset the execution risk of running a leaner team through a major technology buildout. Losing 10% of staff while scaling AI systems simultaneously puts pressure on the teams that remain. Watch for: how quickly Meta completes the cuts, which divisions are hit hardest, and whether the AI spending targets it is protecting actually deliver measurable results in future earnings.