Meta's big layoffs hit managers and developers hardest as AI spending soars

Meta's latest layoffs hit managers and software engineers the hardest. Among 4,665 jobs cut in California and Washington, over 1,400 were management roles—nearly a third—with half being software engineering managers. Individual contributor software engineers lost nearly 1,000 positions, and 419 data scientists were also let go.

The cuts come as Meta pours billions into AI. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said he doesn't want a "managers managing managers" culture. A Meta spokesperson said the changes include layoffs, closing open roles, and moving staff to key business areas. In April, Zuckerberg noted the layoffs help offset AI spending, not automation.