Person looking at Threads app on mobile phone with Meta logo in backdrop
Julio Lopez (Unsplash)
Meta – parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram – is laying off 10% of its workforce as it invests heavily in AI infrastructure and investments.

Members of the media may directly contact the following experts on this topic:

Umar Ruhi (English only)

Full Professor of Digital Transformation at the Telfer School of Management.

[email protected]

Professor Ruhi’s research focuses on human-AI collaboration, AI governance, and AI literacy.

“Meta's layoffs reflect a mix of genuine AI-driven restructuring and what is increasingly being called “AI-washing," where companies attribute workforce reductions to AI that are better explained by strategic pivots and cost rebalancing. The roles being cut, including, recruiting, sales, content operations, and middle management, align with what researchers classify as high-exposure, low-complementarity, where AI substitutes rather than augments human work. Professionals in such areas should be actively building the contextual judgment and AI integration skills that move them toward complementarity.”