Meta, one of the world’s biggest tech companies—which runs services like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp—is once again conducting mass layoffs. However, this time, the reason isn’t just to cut costs. Nor is the company running at a loss; Then why cut jobs? According to the report, Meta is preparing to lay off about 10% of its total workforce—that’s about 8,000 employees. This decision comes at a time when the company is investing heavily in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and fundamentally changing its entire business model. Additionally, 6,000 job roles are being frozen. In total, 14,000 jobs will be directly affected.
AI or something else?
The changes happening within Meta show that AI is not just a technology, but a force that is fundamentally changing the way work is done. The company is now creating systems that can automatically perform many tasks previously performed by humans. For example, tasks like writing code, creating content, and analyzing data are now increasingly being done with the help of AI tools. CEO Sundar Pichai himself has said that up to 70% of the coding work within the company is now being done by AI. As a result, it’s clear that many coders’ jobs are now at risk—or have already been lost. Reports also suggest that Meta is putting its plans to fill about 6,000 new jobs on hold. This means that its impact is not limited to just laying off existing employees; In fact, the number of jobs available in the future is also decreasing.
The company is now relying more on machines and AI systems instead of humans
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had previously said that, in the future, AI will be able to perform many tasks automatically. The company is increasingly incorporating AI into its internal operations. In fact, some reports even suggest that AI has started taking over many tasks within companies—like coding—on its own. This is directly affecting those employees who used to do the same work earlier.
However, this story is not limited to just Meta; Microsoft, Amazon and other big companies are also following the same path. In 2026, thousands of tech jobs have been eliminated, and in many cases, AI is being cited as the main reason. According to a report, thousands of jobs were cut in the tech industry as early as 2026, and in about 25% of these cases, AI played a key role. It is estimated that, worldwide, tech companies have laid off more than 70,000 employees this year because of AI.
Meta’s situation is particularly noteworthy because it goes beyond simply reducing costs. The company is spending billions of dollars on AI. Reports suggest that Meta is planning to invest a huge amount in AI infrastructure in 2026, with the aim of enabling machines to handle more tasks in the future. In other words, the company is clearly betting more on AI than human effort. However, this does not mean that AI alone is eliminating jobs; The reality is something else. While on one hand AI is eliminating some jobs, at the same time it is also creating new jobs. Meta itself is also rapidly and actively hiring for roles such as AI engineers, data scientists, and machine learning experts. This means that while on one hand general office jobs are decreasing, on the other hand high-skilled tech jobs are increasing.
It’s worth noting that this change within Meta didn’t happen overnight. Since 2022, the company has been making continuous layoffs and slowly reshaping its way of working. Initially, layoffs were done to reduce costs; However, it has now become clear that its real aim is to become an AI-centric company. Today, Meta’s main focus is more on being an AI company rather than being a social media company. The most profound effect of this entire change is that the entire way of working is fundamentally changing. Whereas earlier, a specific task required the efforts of many people, now the same task can be accomplished by a human and an AI tool working together.
