Meta may cut nearly 8,000 Facebook and Instagram jobs during its fresh layoff round planned for May 20
Layoff fears have created panic inside Meta offices, with employees reportedly feeling anxious about their future
Some Meta employees reportedly feel deeply anxious while others continue waiting for official layoff announcements
Meta employees are preparing for another difficult phase as the company moves towards a fresh round of layoffs planned for May 20. According to a Reuters report, the first wave could affect nearly 8,000 workers linked to Facebook and Instagram operations globally.
Inside offices, uncertainty has reportedly started shaping employee behaviour. Former Meta employee Adel Wu, who witnessed several layoff rounds during her time at the company, described the atmosphere as deeply unsettling. She said workers still at the firm appear divided between fear and resignation.
In a post on X (formerly twitter), Wu wrote that some employees are "either just waiting hoping to get laid off or extremely anxious because the job is their lifeline".
1 May 2026
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Meta Layoff Anxiety
Wu also recalled how earlier layoffs created an atmosphere she compared to "doomsday". According to her post, employees filled their bags with office supplies and refreshments on the night before one major announcement.
She wrote, "People were stuffing their bags with free snacks and drinks and chargers." Wu added that it was a "very weird time to be in big tech".
The latest layoffs could become Meta’s biggest workforce reduction since the restructuring drive during late 2022 and early 2023. During that period, the company cut nearly 21,000 jobs under what Mark Zuckerberg described as the "year of efficiency".
However, the current situation differs from earlier rounds. Reports suggest Meta now stands in a stronger financial position, yet leadership wants flatter teams and fewer management layers.
The company also appears focused on increasing the use of artificial intelligence at work. Executives believe AI tools can help employees handle more tasks while allowing Meta to operate with smaller teams.
Zuckerberg addressed the restructuring effort by saying, "We are streamlining teams so they are not bigger than needed." His remarks reflect Meta’s continuing push towards operational efficiency.
Meta Hiring Concerns Rise
Alongside fears of layoffs, one Meta software engineer shared concerns about finding opportunities outside the company. The engineer said they joined Meta last year after receiving offers from several firms including Amazon, Robinhood and Capital One.
Despite this, the employee claimed job hunting has become unexpectedly difficult. Preparing for possible layoffs, the engineer said they applied to nearly 250 entry-level positions across sectors but received little response.
The engineer wrote that after adding Meta to the résumé and removing university projects, they started receiving "ZERO interviews". According to the post, applications mostly ended in rejection or silence.
The employee works on PyTorch developer tooling and uses C++ and Python. The engineer also claimed that AI systems such as Claude now handle much of the coding work as Meta increases its internal push towards becoming AI-native.
Meanwhile, reports indicate Meta plans to offer affected US employees severance benefits including 16 weeks of salary, additional pay linked to years of service and healthcare coverage for up to 18 months. Some workers reportedly described the package as a "golden parachute" as uncertainty around the layoffs continues to grow.
