Meta begins job cuts related to AI focus

Meta has started informing its employees of job cuts on Monday (10 February). Thousands of people will reportedly be terminated from the company in the coming month as Meta shifts its focus on finding new talent in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector. 

Meta workers who were cut from their jobs were notified via email, according to Bloomberg. The company is reportedly offering employees based in America severance packages that include 16 weeks of salary and two weeks for each year of service. 

Don't miss: Meta tests ads on Threads with select brands in US and Japan

According to Forbes, the timings of notifications of the job cuts will differ by region, with employees in Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands exempt from this round of terminations due to local regulations. Staff across Europe, Asia and Africa will reportedly be notified over the coming weeks. 

Additionally, Meta is reportedly recruiting for machine learning engineering roles, seemingly suggesting a shift in focus on emerging technologies. In an internal communication, boss Mark Zuckerberg reportedly highlighted the company's focus on building some of the world's most important technologies for the future. 

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Meta for more information. 

The recent job cuts follow Meta's decision to cut an estimate of 5% of its global workforce, specifically the company's lowest performing staff. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Zuckerberg informed workers in a memo that he had decided to speed up the company's regular performance-based cuts ahead of an intense year. He reportedly added that Meta would restore the roles in the latter part of 2025. 

The latest cuts reportedly follow Meta's 2023 layoffs, when the company let go of about 10,000 positions with an aim to cut costs. According to a memo reported on Bloomberg, Zuckerberg said he has decided to raise the bar on performance management. “We typically manage out people who aren’t meeting expectations over the course of a year, but now we’re going to do more extensive performance-based cuts during this cycle.”

Meta isn't the only company to be cutting jobs to focus on AI development. Earlier this month, American cloud-based software company Salesforce was reportedly cutting more than 1,000 jobs while hiring workers to sell new AI products.  Workers affected by the cuts will be able to apply for other jobs internally, according to Bloomberg News, citing a person familiar with the matter. Bloomberg reportedly added that it was unable to determine which sectors the cuts were focused on. 

AI is revolutionising industries by automating tasks and improving efficiency. However, this technological advancement has raised concerns about job security. In a recent Ipsos predictions 2025 survey, it revealed that nearly 73% of Malaysians fear that AI will lead to significant job losses, surpassing the global average of 65%. The survey surveyed 23,271 people across 33 countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and more. 

The survey revealed that Malaysia is among the nations most concerned about job displacement due to AI, with Thailand and Singapore following behind at 66% and 59% respectively. Indonesia and Philippines show even greater anxiety with 85% and 81% of the population believing that AI will lead to job loss. Despite these fears, the survey revealed that optimism about the potential for AI to create new jobs remain strong.

Related articles:  
Will Meta's scrap of fact-checking have any real impact on ad dollars?
Meta deletes AI-generated accounts as consumers express concern
How Threads is redefining the social media landscape in HK