Meta Lays Off 700 in One Day: Reality Labs Suffers Another Blow, Totaling Over 1,000 Layoffs This Year

According to 1M AI News monitoring, Meta on Wednesday confirmed the layoffs of about 700 employees, affecting multiple departments including Reality Labs, Facebook, Recruiting, Sales, and Global Operations, with some employees being offered internal transfer opportunities. In January of this year, Meta had already cut over 1,000 positions in Reality Labs (about 10% of the department), and these two rounds of layoffs have notably impacted the Metaverse team, demonstrating Meta's systematic shift of resources from the Metaverse to AI.

A Meta spokesperson stated that each team "regularly undergoes restructuring or adjustments to ensure they are in the best position to achieve their goals." The news of the layoffs starkly contrasts with the disclosure of a massive executive stock option incentive plan the previous day. By the end of 2025, Meta is expected to have about 79,000 employees, with a 2026 capital expenditure guidance of $115 billion to $135 billion, the majority of which will be allocated to AI infrastructure.