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Warning: Meta laying off 10 percent of workforce amid AI tech takeover

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by Lindsey Granger, opinion contributor - 04/24/26 1:30 PM ET

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by Lindsey Granger, opinion contributor - 04/24/26 1:30 PM ET

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Meta is planning to cut about 10 percent of its workforce — that’s roughly 8,000 people — and eliminate another 6,000 open roles. And they’re doing it while pouring tens of billions into artificial intelligence. That alone tells you this isn’t about a struggling company. In fact, revenue is up.

And Meta isn’t alone.

At Block, led by Jack Dorsey, the co-creator of Twitter, the cuts are even more aggressive — earlier this year, the company laid off about 40 percent of its staff. And Dorsey is being unusually direct about why.

“A significantly smaller team, using the tools we’re building, can do more and do it better,” he said. “And intelligence tool capabilities are compounding faster every week.”

That’s not corporate spin. That’s a warning.

For years, the tech industry operated on one assumption: growth meant more people. More engineers, more managers, more layers. But now, leaders are saying the opposite. Smaller teams. Fewer layers. More output — powered by AI.

And yes, some of this is a correction from pandemic-era hiring sprees. Companies like Meta and Block nearly doubled in size over a short period. But if this were just about trimming back to 2019 levels, we wouldn’t be hearing executives talk about replacing entire categories of work.

So when you zoom out, the pattern becomes clear. Amazon is talking about “fewer layers.” Microsoft and Verizon have made similar moves. This is an industry-wide shift toward operating leaner, with AI doing more of the heavy lifting.

And get this: investors like it too. Block’s stock jumped after announcing layoffs. That tells you the market is rewarding companies for replacing labor with technology.

Dorsey put it bluntly: “Within the next year, I believe the majority of companies will reach the same conclusion and make similar structural changes.”

That’s the writing on the wall.

This isn’t just about tech workers. It’s about the future of work. Entry-level roles, administrative jobs, even parts of coding and design — those are the areas most exposed right now. Not disappearing overnight, but changing fast.

And what we’re seeing is a new model emerge. Not bigger companies but smarter, smaller ones. Teams that rely less on headcount and more on tools.

The reality is, AI isn’t just another innovation cycle. It’s a compression of the workforce.

Lindsey Granger is a NewsNation contributor and co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising.” This column is an edited transcription of her on-air commentary.

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