Meta is preparing to begin another major round of layoffs this week as the company accelerates its massive investments in artificial intelligence, reflecting a significant shift in priorities under CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Starting Wednesday, Meta plans to reduce its workforce by around 10%, affecting approximately 8,000 employees. The company has also abandoned plans to hire for roughly 6,000 open positions, according to an internal memo issued earlier this year.

The cuts come more than three years after Zuckerberg first announced sweeping layoffs in late 2022, when Meta eliminated 11,000 jobs amid falling revenue and a declining stock price. Those reductions later expanded to 21,000 positions as part of what Zuckerberg described in 2023 as Meta’s “year of efficiency.”

At the time, Zuckerberg publicly accepted responsibility for overhiring during the Covid-19 pandemic, telling employees: “I got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that.”

However, the tone surrounding the company’s latest downsizing appears noticeably different. Meta is now aggressively redirecting resources toward artificial intelligence infrastructure and development.

Last month, the company raised its projected 2026 capital expenditure guidance by as much as $10 billion, potentially reaching $145 billion in total spending. Much of that investment is expected to support AI-related technologies, computing infrastructure, and future product development.

The latest workforce reductions follow earlier cuts this year, including about 1,000 jobs eliminated in Meta’s Reality Labs division in January and hundreds more positions reduced in March. The company has also been moving away from third-party contractors responsible for content moderation work.

In communications to employees, Meta described the layoffs as part of ongoing efforts to operate more efficiently while funding its growing AI ambitions.

The developments highlight the broader transformation taking place across the tech industry, where companies are increasingly prioritizing artificial intelligence investments even as they scale back staffing in other divisions.