Meta employees feel anxious and insecure ahead of AI-fueled layoffs next week

Reports suggest Meta plans to fire nearly 8,000 employees next week. Ahead of the job cuts, some Meta employees are reportedly describing the current situation inside the company as a workplace filled with anxiety, exhaustion and AI-driven pressure.

In Short

• Meta is reportedly laying off nearly 8,000 employees next week
• The job cuts are said to be part of its AI-focused restructuring
• Ahead of layoffs, employees inside Meta are anxious and full of uncertainty

Meta is preparing for mass layoffs next week. In an internal memo sent to staffers by Meta Chief People Officer Janelle Gale, the company reportedly confirmed plans to cut 10 per cent of its workforce. The layoffs could affect around 8,000 employees at the San Francisco-based tech giant, with notifications to impacted employees likely to be pushed on May 20, 2026.

With only a few days left before thousands of Meta employees potentially lose their jobs, anxiety inside the company is reportedly growing.

According to reports, Meta employees are experiencing low morale, with growing anxiety and uncertainty amid job cuts, widening pay gaps, increased internal monitoring and pressure to help build the same AI systems which could eventually replace them.

The unease has reportedly been building for weeks. While Meta has framed the cuts as part of an efficiency drive and a way to offset huge AI investments, layoffs are only one part of the problem. Some Meta employees have reportedly said the atmosphere inside the company is now filled with anger, fear and exhaustion.

Several employees told WIRED that anyone who can afford to leave is hoping to be laid off and receive severance rather than continue working under current conditions. One policy staffer told the publication that, “I don’t know anyone having a good time.” An Instagram employee said colleagues were effectively asking management to “just do it now”.

Meanwhile, a longtime senior executive told the publication that only those with the biggest pay packages and roles tied closely to core AI development appeared to be thriving.

Another report by the San Francisco Standard painted an even more personal picture of the stress employees are dealing with. One longtime Meta worker described the current period as “as anxious and stressed as I have ever been at a job”, saying workers were bracing for the 7am email that would determine whether they still had a role at the company.

The employee said many staff members were checking internal profiles and layoff tracking spreadsheets to see who had been “deactivated”.

Meta employees have also revealed that the fear of layoffs has started affecting life outside work. According to staffers, many are feeling “despondent” at home, with major family decisions, including whether to move or have another child, being delayed because of the uncertainty surrounding the company’s future.

Meta cuts the compensation of employees

Compensation has become another major point of resentment. In February, Meta cut the share-based portion of annual raises for a second straight year. Public filings cited by WIRED revealed that median total compensation fell to $388,200 last year from $417,400 in 2024.

Employees also revealed that falling share prices had further reduced pay for workers whose compensation was heavily tied to stock.

Another flashpoint between the Meta employees and the management has been Meta’s rollout of software on corporate laptops that reportedly tracks employee activity in order to gather training data for AI systems. According to the reports, workers said there was no option to opt out, leading to growing concerns around privacy and workplace surveillance.

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