Meta Lays Off ~700 Employees Across Reality Labs, Recruiting, Sales While Forecasting $169B in 2026 Expenses
The Verge·high signal
Meta cut approximately 700 employees across five divisions — Reality Labs, recruiting, sales, global operations, and Facebook social teams — as the company forecasts total 2026 expenses of $162-169 billion and capital expenditures of $115-135 billion, both records. The layoffs underscore the rebalancing: Meta is spending millions per head to poach top AI researchers while trimming non-AI headcount. Some affected employees are being offered internal transfers or relocation options.