Facebook’s parent company, Meta, is laying off about 600 employees from its artificial intelligence division as part of efforts to streamline its operations following years of rapid expansion, several U.S. media outlets reported on Wednesday.
According to reports from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, the layoffs will not affect TBD Lab, a specialized unit created by CEO Mark Zuckerberg to drive Meta’s long-term AI ambitions. That lab was built by hiring some of the industry’s top researchers — often poached from competitors like OpenAI and Apple with lucrative compensation packages.
Instead, the job cuts are expected to impact teams working on AI products and infrastructure, as Meta looks to improve efficiency while maintaining progress on its most important projects. The Wall Street Journal noted that many of those affected may be reassigned to other roles within the company rather than leaving entirely.
The New York Times described the move as an effort to tackle “organizational bloat” that emerged after Meta’s aggressive hiring push to strengthen its AI capabilities over the past two years.
In an internal memo cited by the reports, Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang said the restructuring would allow for “fewer conversations to be required to make a decision,” signaling a push toward leaner and faster decision-making within Meta’s AI operations.
