The Steep Human Cost of Meta’s Ambitious AI Expansion

Mark Zuckerberg’s company reportedly intends to lay off 20 percent of employees as it pursues $600 million plan to broaden its AI infrastructure.

BY KEVIN HAYNES, NEWS WRITER

Meta’s aggressive plan to fund and expand its artificial intelligence infrastructure over the next few years may soon lead to a 20 percent cut in its workforce, according to Reuters.

The news service reported this weekend that three sources said the company’s top executives have already started planning where and when to implement the staff reductions.

The rumored layoff of one-fifth of its staff would represent the deepest cut since November 2022, when Facebook’s parent company slashed 13 percent of its payroll, eliminating 11,000 jobs. Four months later, in early 2023, Meta cut another 10,000 positions.

“This is speculative reporting about theoretical approaches,” said Andy Stone, a spokesperson for Meta, which claimed to employ 79,000 workers at the end of 2025.

How Canva Became the Power Player in the AI Design Wars

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has made no secret of his desire to step up the company’s capability in generative AI. Current plans call for a $600 billion outlay to construct data centers by 2028.

Last week, Meta completed a deal to acquire Moltbook, a popular Reddit-like social network that makes it possible for AI-powered bots built on the OpenClaw framework to share code and information without any human interaction.

Moltbook, which launched in January, is now part of Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL), the division created last year to centralize and accelerate the development of next-generation AI agents capable of surpassing human intelligence. Financial details were not disclosed, but the deal was seen as the latest sign that Meta is determined to position itself as a leading force in AI advances by aggressively pursuing expensive talent and assembling infrastructure.

© Inc.com