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Meta's Largest Layoff in History: Notification Sent at Dawn, 7,000 Employees Transition to AI

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Layoff Clouds Loom Over Meta as Over a Thousand Employees Sign Petition Against Mouse-Tracking Software.

Original Title: "Details of Meta's Massive Layoffs Revealed: 4 AM Layoff Notices, 7,000 Employees Transitioning to AI"

Meta's largest-ever personnel restructuring is progressing by the hour. This restructuring, involving nearly 8,000 positions, is driven by a comprehensive organizational overhaul with AI at its core logic.

According to internal memoranda obtained by Business Insider and The Information, Meta's HR chief, Janelle Gale, released an explanation to employees on Monday, revealing the specific execution plan for Wednesday's (May 20) layoffs: the layoff notices will be issued at 4 AM (local time) as the key time, affecting approximately 8,000 positions, about 10% of Meta's nearly 78,000-strong workforce.

Synchronized with the layoffs is a large-scale personnel redeployment—Meta will reallocate over 7,000 employees to multiple new AI departments, while significantly reducing management layers to promote organizational flattening. Meanwhile, internal employee friction continues to escalate, with employees signing a petition for installing mouse-tracking software on company devices, with over a thousand signatures, reflecting the tense labor relations under the shadow of layoffs.

Meta has made it clear to employees that Wednesday's 10% layoffs may not be the end, and further reductions are not ruled out in the future. The company predicted in April that its capital expenditure for 2026 would reach $125 billion to $145 billion, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to AI.

At 4 AM, Three Waves of Notifications Cover the Globe

In the memorandum, Gale detailed the execution rhythm for Wednesday down to the hourly level: the notifications will be sent out at 4 AM (local time) in each region, with three waves of distribution across Meta's global operations.

This means that from the Asia-Pacific region to Europe and then to the Americas, employees will receive notifications in their own late nights or early mornings. An employee told Business Insider that everyone is currently in a "hold in the air" state, waiting to confirm their job status.

7,000 Employees Transitioning to AI, Restructuring Goes Beyond Layoffs

This personnel change is not just about cost reduction but is accompanied by large-scale strategic reallocation.

According to The Information, Gale stated in the memorandum that the productivity gains from AI enable the company to redeploy over 7,000 employees to multiple new departments, including the Applied AI Engineering department (AAI), the Agent Transformation Accelerator, Central Analytics, and a newly established Enterprise Solutions team.

The Information previously reported that Meta has started transferring top engineers company-wide to bolster the AAI division, aiming to enhance its strength in AI model competition. Gale stated in a memo that the company's departmental leadership has incorporated "AI-native design principles" into the new organizational structure, which will be announced in conjunction with layoffs.

Significant Reduction in Management, Advancing Organizational Flattening

In the memo, Gale clearly stated that management positions will be reduced across the entire company, with the goal of creating a flatter hierarchy.

"We are now at a stage where many teams can operate in a flatter structure, taking action in smaller pods/cohorts to move faster and take on more ownership," she wrote.

Some teams within Meta's Reality Labs have already taken the lead in restructuring into a small pod architecture, a trend previously reported by Business Insider.

One Thousand Employees Sign Petition Against Mouse Tracking, Internal Friction Surfaces

Beneath the shadow of layoffs, another wave of employee collective resistance is brewing. Some employees have launched a petition against the company's installation of mouse tracking software, with over a thousand signatures, reflecting employees' strong resistance to management's enhanced monitoring measures.

Multiple current employees have told Business Insider that overall company morale is visibly under pressure.

No Rule Out Further Layoffs, Continued AI Investment

Wednesday's layoffs are not the end. Business Insider previously reported that Meta's management has informed employees that further reductions may occur after this round of 10% layoffs.

Despite the large-scale downsizing, Meta's capital investment in the AI field continues to accelerate. The company estimated in April that its capital expenditure for 2026 will range between $125 billion and $145 billion, highlighting its massive bet on AI infrastructure—also a direct testament to this restructuring centered around AI logic.