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Meta is reportedly laying off up to 20 percent of its staff

The Verge / 3/15/2026

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Key Points

  • Meta is reportedly planning to lay off up to 20% of its staff, potentially eliminating about 15,800 roles to offset AI and data-center spending.
  • If realized, it would be Meta’s largest layoff wave since 2022–2023.
  • The move reflects a shift away from VR/metaverse spending toward AI talent, data centers, and other cost-control measures.
  • The report cites Reuters as the source, with coverage and context also linked to The Verge for the full story.

According to Reuters, Meta is looking to offset spending on AI and data centers with a massive round of layoffs. Sources familiar with the matter say the company could lay off as much as 20 percent of its staff, eliminating roughly 15,800 positions. That would be the largest series of layoffs at the company since it terminated 22,000 workers over just a few months between November 2022 and early 2023.

Word of the potential downsizing comes after Meta signaled that it was all but giving up on VR and the Metaverse, slashing budgets and closing studios. Instead, the company has been spending big to attract AI talent, build data centers, and ac …

Read the full story at The Verge.