‘This is a speculative report about theoretical approaches,’ Meta responds.
Meta is planning a fresh round of layoffs that could affect 20pc or more of the company’s global workforce, reported Reuters.
The layoffs, which could affect around 15,800 jobs, are meant to offset Meta’s massive AI spend and prepare the company for AI-assisted work instead, sources told the publication. Meta employs nearly 79,000 globally, with around 1,700 in Ireland.
Meta did not verify the contents of the report. A company spokesperson told SiliconRepublic.com: “This is a speculative report about theoretical approaches.”
The Facebook parent, much like many in the Big Tech league, has cut thousands of jobs in recent years in favour of spending billions for its AI build-out.
Meta laid off 5pc of global staff, targeting its “lowest performers”, in early 2025, amounting to around 3,600 people at the time. In October, it cut 600 jobs from its AI division, Superintelligence Labs. In 2022, it cut 11,000 jobs globally, with Irish workers affected, and in 2023, it laid off 10,000 worldwide.
Headcount in Ireland was cut by 20pc in 2024, which followed an 18pc decline during 2023. In early 2025, Meta employed around 2,000 in the country. That number is now down by around 300.
Reports from January 2026 suggested that Meta could cut 10pc of its Reality Labs division, which employs roughly 15,000. In December, it was speculated that the company would be reducing the budget and cutting staff for its ‘metaverse’, to include the ‘Horizon Worlds’ project and its Quest virtual reality unit.
Meta expects its total expenses for the year to be as high as $135bn, driven by an increased investment to support its Superintelligence Labs efforts as well as its core business. The company has been building its own in-house hardware, and poaching key talent from its rivals to boost its AI efforts.
In February, Meta announced a multi-year chip deal with Nvidia that would reportedly cost the company billions of dollars. It struck a $14.2bn deal with CoreWeave for its cloud compute power four months earlier. Meanwhile, a $10bn deal with Google for its cloud services is also speculated.
Recently, Meta spent as much as $3bn to acquire the Chinese-founded AI start-up Manus. Earlier this month, it acquired the viral social platform for AI bots, Moltbook, for an undisclosed amount.
Meta stocks fell by as much as 23pc from their August peak since last Friday (13 March). Investors are also concerned after the company delayed its much anticipated AI model Avocado.
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