The redundancies, which staff had anticipated for weeks, will be the company's deepest round of layoffs since 2023, arriving as Meta accelerates spending on artificial intelligence.

Largest cuts in three years

Meta will eliminate 8,000 positions as the social-media giant pours capital into artificial intelligence infrastructure, the company confirmed. The reductions are the largest the firm has carried out since 2023 and had been expected by employees for several weeks.

Microsoft is moving in a parallel direction, offering voluntary buyouts to 8,750 workers — a first for the Windows maker — as the sector broadly recalibrates headcount against AI investment.

Scrutiny from Beijing

Meta faces a separate pressure point in China. Beijing has moved to block the company from acquiring AI startup Manus, tightening regulatory scrutiny of cross-border AI deals amid an intensifying technology rivalry between the two countries.

Meta said the proposed transaction "complied fully with applicable law" and that it anticipates "an appropriate resolution to the inquiry."

Washington's countermoves

The blocked acquisition sits inside a broader geopolitical contest. The Trump administration has vowed to crack down on foreign technology companies it accuses of exploiting United States AI models, with China identified as the primary concern. A White House memo attributed to Michael Kratsios asserts that firms — predominantly Chinese — are wrongfully distilling American AI models, framing the practice as large-scale intellectual-property theft.

Workforce data as training input

Internally, Meta is also drawing on its own employees to build its AI systems. The company will collect data from workers' clicks and keystrokes to feed into its AI models, extending the use of workplace behaviour as a training resource.