Meta Begins Cutting 8,000 Jobs as AI Capex Surges to $145 Billion

Meta has started laying off roughly 8,000 employees this week while cancelling hiring for 6,000 open roles to offset record AI infrastructure spending. The restructuring follows March announcements of a 10% workforce reduction and VR platform shutdown, a May 1 acquisition of humanoid robotics startup ARI, and the forced internal transfer of 1,000 top engineers into a new Applied AI division. Q1 results showed strong revenue of $56.31 billion but shares remain under pressure, down 7% YTD, as 2026 capex guidance was lifted to $125–$145 billion.