SiliconRepublic.com has asked Meta about the extent of layoffs in Ireland.

Meta is reportedly reassigning 7,000 workers to new, more AI-aligned roles, just ahead of the sweeping layoffs expected at the company tomorrow (20 May).

According to a memo, first reported by Reuters, Meta’s human resources head Janelle Gale said that the new corporate structure will be “flatter”, with “smaller teams”.

“As org leaders worked on the changes, many of them incorporated AI native design principles ⁠into their new org structures.

“We’re now at the stage where many orgs can operate with a flatter structure with smaller teams of ​pods/cohorts that can move faster and with more ownership.”

New departments where employees are being transferred include Applied AI Engineering, Agent Transformation Accelerator XFN, Central Analytics and Enterprise Solutions.

This, as workers at the company are reportedly dissatisfied with leaders over recent moves, with angry internal communications and a petition against Meta’s mouse-tracking software used to train the company’s AI models.

Meta’s work structure overhaul comes after the company decided to cut 8,000 jobs – or 10pc of the workforce – last month, in an effort to mitigate its AI-related expenses. Plus, 6,000 planned recruitments at the company have also been halted as a result.

Current headcount at Meta stands at 77,986 as of 31 March, with around 1,800 in Ireland. SiliconRepublic.com has asked Meta about the extent of layoffs in Ireland.

The social media giant’s move reflects the growing importance AI is taking at the workplace – no longer an optional tool used to improve productivity.

Earlier this year, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that 2026 might be the year “AI starts to dramatically change the way that we work”.

“We’re starting to see projects that used to require big teams now be accomplished by a single very talented person,” he said. Zuckerberg is also reportedly developing an AI-powered version of himself to interact with employees.

Similar views around workforce thinning were shared by Amazon after the company laid off 16,000 jobs in January, as well as Block, which cut 4,000 jobs.

Block head and chair Jack Dorsey said that a “majority of companies” will reach similar conclusions around smaller teams and make similar structural changes “within the next year”.

Meanwhile, reports suggest that AI’s uptake in many Irish and UK-based organisations is not adequately supported by targeted investment in skills and technology adoption.

As one of the biggest AI spenders, Meta recently upgraded its capital expenditure budget to go up to $145bn. The company said the budget would help fund its Superintelligence Labs efforts, higher component pricing and additional data centre costs.

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