Facebook parent company, Meta Platforms Inc., has started notifying employees across its global operations of job cuts affecting about 8,000 roles, as part of a broader restructuring tied to its push into artificial intelligence and cost optimisation.

The layoffs, which began on Wednesday morning, were first communicated to staff in Asia around 4 a.m. Singapore time, with employees in the United States also expected to receive notifications later in the day, according to an internal memo cited by Bloomberg.

The job cuts form part of Meta’s ongoing effort to streamline operations while redirecting significant capital towards artificial intelligence infrastructure and product development.

Earlier in March this year, Nairametrics reported that Meta was planning sweeping layoffs that could affect 20% or more of its workforce.

Meta has reportedly advised affected staff to work remotely as it proceeds with the workforce reduction, which is expected to impact engineering and product teams most heavily.

In parallel with the layoffs, Meta has reassigned about 7,000 employees to newly created AI focused teams working on products and autonomous agents, according to internal communications.

The company ended March with just under 80,000 employees, ahead of the latest restructuring exercise.

Meta’s Head of People, Janelle Gale, said in an internal memo that the company is moving towards a flatter organisational structure designed to improve speed and accountability.

“We’re now at the stage where many orgs can operate with a flatter structure with smaller teams of pods/cohorts that can move faster and with more ownership.”

“We believe this will make us more productive and make the work more rewarding,” Gale said.

The company has also explored more aggressive internal data collection methods to improve AI systems, a move that has drawn concerns among employees.

The restructuring has contributed to growing unease within Meta’s workforce, with some employees expressing concerns about job security and workplace monitoring tied to AI development initiatives.

Reports indicate that more than 1,000 staff members signed a petition urging the company to avoid extensive device level data collection, including inputs such as keystrokes and screen activity, for AI training purposes.

Others have taken to social platforms to express concerns about declining morale and uncertainty linked to ongoing restructuring cycles.

Meta’s aggressive AI investment strategy has also drawn scrutiny from investors concerned about the long term return on capital deployment.

While the company has framed the layoffs as a cost offset measure linked to its AI expansion, analysts at Evercore estimate that the job cuts may generate around $3 billion in savings.

Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has positioned artificial intelligence as Meta’s core strategic priority, with the company committing more than $100 billion in capital expenditure this year to AI related infrastructure and capabilities.

The push is aimed at keeping pace with rivals including Alphabet’s Google and OpenAI, as competition intensifies across foundational models, AI agents, and enterprise applications.

In recent years, Meta has implemented multiple rounds of layoffs as part of a broader efficiency drive, while simultaneously encouraging greater use of AI tools within internal workflows, including coding support and automation systems.