News of Bahrain
World20 May 20261 min read

Meta Orders Work From Home First, Then Lays Off 8,000 Employees At 4 AM

California: Meta has laid off approximately 8,000 employees, representing nearly 10 percent of its global workforce, in a sudden restructuring aimed at funding a massive pivot toward artificial intelligence. To manage the process remotely and preve

Editorial Team Legacy

Published 20 May 2026, 8:00 · Updated 18:12

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Meta Orders Work From Home First, Then Lays Off 8,000 Employees At 4 AM

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California: Meta has laid off approximately 8,000 employees, representing nearly 10 percent of its global workforce, in a sudden restructuring aimed at funding a massive pivot toward artificial intelligence.

To manage the process remotely and prevent workplace disruption, the company directed staff to work from home on the day of the announcement. Following the directive, termination notices were dispatched via email at 4:00 AM local time, starting with the firm's Singapore hub.

The job cuts primarily affect engineering and product teams, even as Meta plans to spend up to $145 billion on AI infrastructure this year. In addition to the layoffs, the company is closing 6,000 open roles and flattening its management layers for leaner operations.

Affected workers reported losing access to internal tools almost instantly, discovering their job status via mobile notifications upon waking up. This move marks a significant acceleration of Mark Zuckerberg’s ‘year of efficiency’ despite the abrupt digital lockout.

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