<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/meta" rel="" target="_blank" title="Meta"><span>Meta</span></a><span>, the US social media giant which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, will slash around 8000 jobs in mass lay-offs to make room for </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/artificial-intelligence" rel="" target="_blank" title="artificial intelligence (AI)."><span>artificial intelligence (AI).</span></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Mark Zuckerberg-founded company plans to cut its global workforce by 10 per cent and will cancel around 6000 open positions as Meta offsets its AI spend in a ruthless pursuit of "efficiency", </span><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-23/meta-tells-staff-it-will-cut-10-of-jobs-in-push-for-efficiency?embedded-checkout=true" rel="" target="_blank" title="Bloomberg "><em><span>Bloomberg</span></em></a><span> first reported.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Meta confirmed the lay-offs but declined to comment further when contacted by Nine.com.au.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/meningococcal-b-strain-warning-after-perth-man-dies-overseas/3c468ac9-2c7a-4883-b491-8a3631ec3319" rel="" target="_blank" title="Zander, 21, died hours after developing a headache and rash on flight"><strong><span>Zander, 21, died hours after developing a headache and rash on flight</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/meta-to-roll-out-extra-supervision-features-for-parents-with-teenagers-using-facebook-instagram/ebb681b9-6831-4ef9-8e9c-b3a8c914c3e0" target="_blank" title="Parents will soon see their child's AI search history on Facebook, Instagram"><strong><span>Parents will soon see their child's AI search history on Facebook, Instagram</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We're doing this as part of our continued effort to run the company more efficiently and to allow us to offset the other investments we're making," Meta's chief people officer Janelle Gale said in an internal memo to employees.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This is not an easy trade-off and it will mean letting go of people who have made meaningful contributions to Meta during their time here."</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/meta-to-slash-thousands-of-jobs-in-ai-push/ddbeef78-ee8c-452d-a3fa-e367845a07ae" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Meta is expected to notify impacted staff on May 20.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It is understood that laid-off workers in the US will be offered severance packages which includes "16 weeks of base pay plus two weeks for every year of employment," according to the memo.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Meta has embarked on an aggressive AI spending spree, including multi-billion dollar deals with AI partners and heavy investment in data centres.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>And Zuckerberg has previously made it clear that the technology will fundamentally reshape the company.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-israel-iran-war-live-updates-april-23-donald-trump-latest-world-news-headlines/a233896c-f0d2-4024-bd3c-3cce661a51ab"><strong><span>Why Trump is losing his grip and what can turn it around</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I think that 2026 is going to be the year that AI starts to dramatically change the way that we work," Zuckerberg said in January.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Zuckerberg hinted at the time that AI meant companies like Meta could shrink their workforce and have the same output.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We're starting to see projects that used to require big teams now be accomplished by a single very talented person," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Meta has already slashed around 2000 jobs in smaller redundancy rounds this year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/petrol-prices-australia-has-more-fuel-than-before-the-war-but-its-coming-from-very-different-places/737e03f6-a9bb-405b-bc3d-8714c1821228"><strong><span>Trump said 'buy oil from the US'. Australia had little choice</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Microsoft is also planning to cull thousands of workers.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The software giant is reportedly offering voluntary redundancies to thousands of workers in the US, amounting to around seven per cent of its workforce.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The </span><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/f5776fd6-22f3-43d1-806b-9858b64cfd18?syn-25a6b1a6=1" rel="" target="_blank" title="Financial Times"><em><span>Financial Times</span></em></a><span> reports that around 8000 Microsoft employees will be impacted.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Microsoft confirmed today it would spend $25 billion in Australia on building its AI capacity by 2029.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Australia has an enormous opportunity to translate AI into real economic growth and societal benefit," said Microsoft chief executive and chairman Satya Nadella said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"That is why we are making our largest investment in Australia to date, committing A$25 billion to expand AI and cloud capacity, strengthen cybersecurity, and expand access to digital skills across the country."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><strong><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>ticking this box here</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Sign up to</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></em></strong></a></li></ul></div></div>