MENLO PARK (California): Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc. is reportedly laying off around 600 employees from its artificial intelligence division, as part of ongoing efforts to streamline operations following years of rapid expansion, according to reports from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

The job cuts come after Meta’s extensive hiring spree during the AI boom, in which the company aggressively recruited top researchers and engineers from major competitors such as OpenAI, Apple, and Google.

However, sources familiar with the matter told U.S. media outlets that the cuts are not expected to affect Meta’s TBD Lab, a unit personally overseen by CEO Mark Zuckerberg and focused on long-term experimental AI projects.

Targeting ‘Organizational Bloat’

According to The New York Times, the layoffs are part of an internal effort to address what executives described as “organizational bloat” that accumulated during Meta’s high-speed AI expansion. The restructuring aims to improve efficiency while keeping the company’s core research and development teams intact.

A leaked internal memo from Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang reportedly stated that the reductions would help Meta make faster decisions by reducing layers of management and communication barriers. “Fewer conversations will be required to make a decision,” the memo said, emphasizing a shift toward agility and innovation.

Strategic Refocus Amid AI Competition

Meta’s move comes at a time when Big Tech firms are racing to dominate the AI landscape, with OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic competing to lead in generative and foundation model development.

Zuckerberg has publicly emphasized that AI remains central to Meta’s long-term vision, spanning products like the Meta AI assistant, Ray-Ban smart glasses, and AI-driven content recommendation systems across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

Industry observers say that rather than retreating from AI, Meta appears to be refocusing its resources on high-impact projects, consolidating overlapping roles, and tightening internal workflows. Many of the affected employees could reportedly be redeployed within the company’s AI infrastructure or product teams.

A Broader Tech Industry Trend

Meta’s downsizing echoes a broader trend across Silicon Valley, where leading tech companies have trimmed headcounts to rebalance post-pandemic hiring surges.

Earlier this year, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft also announced cuts in their AI and cloud divisions while maintaining or even increasing overall AI investment.

Analysts view Meta’s move as part of a larger “efficiency wave” in the industry, with companies seeking to balance rapid AI development with cost discipline.

Despite the layoffs, Zuckerberg has reaffirmed his company’s commitment to building an AI-first future, recently telling investors that Meta will “lead the next era of computing” through innovations in AI-driven experiences, metaverse integration, and intelligent automation.

Meta has not yet issued an official public statement regarding the layoffs.