Meta Slashes Staff In First Major Layoffs Of 2026: Report

PALO ALTO, CA — Meta Platforms Inc. is cutting more than 1,000 jobs from its Reality Labs division to redirect resources from virtual reality and metaverse ambitions toward AI wearables and phone features, according to reports.

The announcement on Tuesday by Meta’s chief technology officer, Andrew Bosworth, marked the first major job cut of 2026.

According to an internal post from Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth, reported by Bloomberg News, affected employees would begin receiving layoff notifications starting on Tuesday morning. Bloomberg reported that the cuts will affect around 10 percent of the Reality Labs group’s approximately 15,000 workers.

The cuts are deeper than the original 600 announced last year.

Meta executives said in October that the company planned to cut hundreds of jobs in its artificial intelligence division to balance the cost of keeping up with rivals in the field.

On Wednesday, Bosworth pivoted, saying the company will continue to develop the metaverse with a focus on mobile phones and will also keep investing in VR headsets and features, though less aggressively, according to Bloomberg.

Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp won't be touched by the layoffs, according to SF Gate.
The New York Times reported in October that the job cuts were meant to reduce organizational bloat. This bloat resulted from building Meta's AI efforts too quickly, including costly hiring sprees. The move was also intended to help Meta develop AI products more nimbly.

READ MORE ABOUT DECISIONS BEHIND THE LAYOFFS: Meta To Cut 600 AI Jobs In Superintelligence