GoKawiilMeta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at a dinner with tech leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Sept. 4, 2025.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees in a memo Wednesday that the company's decision to lay off 8,000 employees is necessary because "success isn't a given" in the fierce and competitive space of artificial intelligence.
"AI is the most consequential technology of our lifetimes," Zuckerberg said in the memo, which was viewed by CNBC. "The companies that lead the way will define the next generation."
Meta declined to comment. The New York Times first reported on the employee memo.
Zuckerberg's message to employees about the significance of AI for the future of the social media giant underscores the sense of urgency at the company on the day it began its latest round of layoffs, which hit about 10% of the company's workforce.
The social media giant revealed to employees in April that it would conduct a major round of layoffs the following month while nixing plans to fill 6,000 open positions. The company told workers in a memo at the time that the job cuts were intended to help offset investments into other areas like AI.
In addition to the job cuts, about 7,000 employees will be moved into new AI-focused roles, according to a person familiar with the move, who asked not to be named in order to discuss internal matters.
Although the layoffs will hit numerous departments, the teams and units focused on AI infrastructure, foundation models and AI monetization are expected to be protected, CNBC previously reported.
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