Meta is set to lay off approximately 600 employees from its artificial intelligence division as part of an ongoing restructuring initiative aimed at simplifying its organizational structure and improving operational efficiency, a company spokesperson confirmed to CNBC. The layoffs affect teams within AI infrastructure and Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR), though key hires in TBD Labs, led by Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang, will not be impacted.
The move reflects CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s renewed focus on consolidating resources around newer, high-priority AI initiatives while reducing overlap within legacy teams. This strategic shift aligns with Meta’s broader “year of efficiency” approach, which has seen the company streamline operations and prioritize cutting-edge AI development to maintain competitiveness in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
The layoffs come amid growing internal frustration over Meta’s AI progress, particularly following lukewarm developer feedback on its Llama 4 models. As part of the restructuring, Wang — who joined Meta in June following the company’s $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI — is driving a reorganization designed to unify research and engineering efforts across Meta’s AI ecosystem. Meanwhile, former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman continues to play a pivotal role in the Meta Superintelligence Labs, the company’s elite research unit focused on advancing next-generation AI capabilities.
Impacted employees have been notified that November 21 will mark their final working date. They will enter a non-working notice period with systems access revoked but will receive 16 weeks of severance pay, plus two additional weeks per year of service, according to internal communications.
Despite the job cuts, Meta remains deeply invested in AI infrastructure and research. The company recently finalized a $27 billion partnership with Blue Owl Capital to fund its Hyperion data center project in Louisiana — a cornerstone of Meta’s plan to expand computational capacity for large-scale AI training.
While the restructuring highlights the growing pains of scaling AI development, it also underscores Zuckerberg’s commitment to consolidating leadership under Wang and streamlining Meta’s path toward building more powerful, efficient, and commercially viable AI systems.
