Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg attends a dinner with technology leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House on September 4, 2025 in Washington.
Will Oliver | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees in a memo Wednesday that the company’s decision to lay off 8,000 employees was necessary because “success is not a given” in the cutthroat and competitive field of artificial intelligence.
“AI is the most important technology of our lifetime,” Zuckerberg said in a memo seen by CNBC. “Companies that lead the way will define the next generation.”
Mehta declined to comment. The New York Times first reported on the employee’s memo.
Zuckerberg’s message to employees about the importance of AI in the social media giant’s future underscores the company’s sense of crisis on the day it began its latest round of layoffs, targeting about 10% of its workforce.
The social media giant told employees in April that it would implement large-scale layoffs next month, while canceling plans to fill 6,000 vacancies. The company told employees in a memo at the time that the job cuts were intended to offset investments in other areas, such as AI.
In addition to the layoffs, about 7,000 employees will be moved to new AI-focused roles, said a person familiar with the move, who requested anonymity to discuss internal matters.
CNBC previously reported that while the layoffs will affect many departments, teams and departments focused on AI infrastructure, foundational models, and AI monetization are expected to be protected.
“It is always sad to say goodbye to those who have contributed to our mission and the creation of this company,” Zuckerberg said in a memo Wednesday, adding, “I want to thank everyone who is retiring today for the hard work they put into serving our community.”
“We’re transforming our company to be the best place for talented people to always have the most impact,” Zuckerberg said. “People say they appreciate the ability to take more control and execute their vision with less bureaucracy and management.”
The layoffs come at a time of great uncertainty for Meta’s employees, as Facebook’s parent company has already made several layoffs this year. Another round is planned for August, followed by another round in the fall, sources previously told CNBC.
According to data provided by Blind’s anonymous professional network service, Meta’s overall rating by staff has fallen 25% from its peak in the second quarter of 2024 to this quarter, and its culture rating has fallen 39%.
Zuckerberg said in a memo Wednesday that executives “do not anticipate further company-wide layoffs this year,” adding, “Please acknowledge that we have not been as clear in our communications as we would like. That is one area I would certainly like to improve.”
Meta laid off about 1,000 employees in its Reality Labs division in January, followed by layoffs in March that affected hundreds more. Meta also announced in March that it plans to transition from third-party vendors and contractors to AI for content moderation tasks.
Meta is not the only company to make large-scale layoffs amid the AI boom.
Cisco announced last week that it would lay off about 4,000 employees, and CEO Chuck Robbins said in an accompanying blog post that “the companies that win in the AI era will be those with the focus, urgency, and discipline to continually shift investment to areas where demand and long-term value creation is strongest.”
Microsoft announced in April that it plans to make a voluntary acquisition offer for the first time in the tech giant’s history. About 7% of the company’s U.S.-based employees will be affected, according to people familiar with the plan.
WATCH: Meta’s planned layoffs will hurt company morale.
