In a move that caught many off guard, Meta Platforms instructed employees across regions including the United States and the United Kingdom to work remotely for the day. There were no internal town halls or visible discussions at offices. Hours later, termination emails began landing in inboxes.

The job cuts are expected to affect roughly 8,000 employees — close to 10% of Meta’s workforce. Reports indicate that staff in Singapore were among the first to receive notifications, with emails reportedly sent in the early hours of the morning. The company is issuing notices in phases, coordinated by time zones.

Before the downsizing exercise, Meta employed around 78,000 people. Alongside the layoffs, the company is restructuring teams to align with its sharpened focus on artificial intelligence. Around 7,000 employees are being shifted into newly formed AI-centric teams, while approximately 6,000 open positions have been eliminated. Management layers are also being reduced to create leaner, faster-moving units.

In an internal communication, Chief People Officer Janelle Gale described the goal of building flatter organisations composed of smaller, agile groups with greater ownership. Engineering and product divisions are expected to bear the brunt of the restructuring, and further workforce changes may follow later this year.

Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has positioned artificial intelligence at the core of Meta’s long-term strategy. The company has outlined plans to invest between $125 billion and $145 billion this year, largely directed toward AI infrastructure and development.

Inside the company, reports suggest morale has been under strain since news of the cuts surfaced last month. There were also claims of a new internal system monitoring employee activity — including keystrokes and mouse movements — to help train AI tools. The move reportedly sparked resistance, with more than 1,000 employees signing a petition against it.

Observers note that the work-from-home directive likely prevented visible scenes of unrest at offices during the rollout of the layoffs.

The trend extends beyond Meta. Other major technology firms have also announced significant job reductions in recent months. Companies such as Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Amazon, Disney, ASML and Oracle have either confirmed layoffs or introduced voluntary exit programmes, signalling broader restructuring across the sector.

Industry leaders suggest that these developments represent more than a cyclical downturn. According to Dipal Dutta, CEO of RedoQ, the shift reflects a long-term transformation in how technology companies operate. He argues that advances in generative AI and automated systems are reducing reliance on large teams for routine tasks, fundamentally altering traditional growth models based on expanding headcount.

Dutta emphasised that professionals must adapt by developing higher-level design and system-thinking capabilities rather than focusing solely on execution. In his view, the future of tech careers will depend on the ability to architect and manage complex AI-driven ecosystems rather than simply contribute isolated technical skills.

As artificial intelligence becomes central to corporate strategy, the restructuring underway at Meta may signal a wider and lasting shift in the global technology workforce.