Meta Platforms on Wednesday began laying off nearly 8,000 employees as part of a sweeping global restructuring exercise aimed at accelerating the company’s transition toward artificial intelligence-driven operations, according to multiple reports.

The Facebook-parent company has reportedly started issuing layoff notices in phased waves, with the downsizing and internal role reshuffling expected to impact around 10 per cent of its global workforce.

At the same time, Meta is said to be redeploying nearly 7,000 employees into newly created AI-focused positions as it reorganises teams around what executives describe as “AI-native” structures.

In an internal memo circulated to employees, Meta’s Human Resources chief Janelle Gale said several departments were being redesigned to operate with flatter hierarchies, leaner teams and faster decision-making processes centred on AI integration.

“As org leaders worked on the changes, many of them incorporated AI-native design principles into their new org structures,” Gale said in the memo, according to reports.

The company also reportedly instructed several North American employees to work from home on the day layoffs took effect — a step Meta has followed during previous rounds of job cuts.

The restructuring marks one of the company’s most aggressive shifts toward AI so far, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg continues to prioritise artificial intelligence infrastructure, advanced computing power and next-generation AI products.

Meta has projected capital expenditure between $125 billion and $145 billion for 2026, with a significant portion earmarked for AI data centres, custom-built chips and large-scale model training systems.

Reports also suggested Zuckerberg recently reassured employees that data collected through Meta’s platforms would be used to improve AI systems and not for surveillance purposes.

The layoffs follow weeks of speculation about a major internal reorganisation at Meta. Earlier this month, several reports indicated the company was preparing to cut nearly 10 per cent of its workforce while simultaneously expanding AI-related operations to streamline productivity and remain competitive in the rapidly evolving AI race.

Meta, like several other global technology firms, has been aggressively investing in generative AI tools and infrastructure amid intensifying competition from rivals including OpenAI, Google and Microsoft.

With IANS inputs

Meta is set to begin laying off around 10 per cent of its global workforce from 20 May as part of a major organisational overhaul focused on artificial intelligence and operational restructuring, according to multiple reports.

The US-based tech giant is reportedly reshaping its internal structure to create what executives describe as more “AI-native” teams — leaner units designed to speed up decision-making and improve efficiency as competition in the artificial intelligence sector intensifies.

As part of the restructuring, Meta is expected to eliminate several managerial positions, reorganise departments and reduce layers of supervision across the company.

Reports suggest the company may also close nearly 6,000 open positions, while the broader reorganisation — including transfers and team restructuring — could impact almost 20 per cent of Meta’s workforce.

Based on the company’s reported employee strength of nearly 79,000 as of 31 December, the planned layoffs could affect roughly 16,000 workers if implemented at the projected scale.

The restructuring has triggered concern and backlash among some employees. Reports said workers staged protests at company offices and voiced criticism on Meta’s internal platform, Workplace.

More than 1,000 employees have reportedly signed a petition opposing the company’s new mouse-tracking software, which is allegedly being used to help train AI systems. Staff members raising objections cited privacy and workplace surveillance concerns.

The development comes amid a wider wave of layoffs across the global technology industry as companies increasingly pivot towards AI-driven business models and automation.

According to recent industry reports, more than 80,000 tech jobs were cut globally in the first quarter of 2026 alone, with total job losses this year expected to cross 300,000.

A report by TradingPlatforms said the latest layoffs are part of a broader post-pandemic correction in the tech sector, which has seen more than one million jobs eliminated worldwide since 2021 after rapid Covid-era hiring expansions.

Artificial intelligence and automation have emerged as major drivers behind the ongoing restructuring trend, with nearly half of all tech layoffs in 2026 reportedly linked to AI-related changes.

The United States remains the worst-affected market, accounting for nearly 77 per cent of global tech layoffs this year, with over 61,000 job cuts reported across 62 companies.

Among major firms, Oracle has announced the largest number of layoffs globally in 2026 so far, reportedly cutting more than 25,000 positions as part of its own AI infrastructure and restructuring push.

With IANS inputs

Instagram has introduced a new feature called “Instants”, allowing users to share temporary photos with close friends and selected followers in a move aimed at encouraging more casual and authentic interactions on the platform.

The new feature, rolled out by Meta, is designed to offer a more spontaneous alternative to heavily edited posts and polished Stories. Shared photos disappear once viewed, although users can save them privately in an archive for up to a year and later repost them as recap Stories.

Instants can be accessed directly from the Instagram inbox, where they appear as a stack of small photo previews in the bottom-right corner of the direct messages section. Unlike Instagram Stories or Reels, Instants are displayed in their original format without editing tools or filters.

Users can choose whether to share their Instants with their Close Friends list or with followers they mutually follow. Recipients can react to the images, reply to them and share their own Instants in response.

Instagram said all viewed Instants would automatically move to a private archive after 24 hours. Archived content remains visible only to the account holder and cannot be accessed by followers or friends.

The platform has also introduced an optional standalone Instants camera app in selected countries, including India, to provide faster access to capturing and sharing photos instantly.

To reduce clutter in the messaging interface, users can temporarily hide the Instants photo stack using a long-press and swipe gesture within the inbox.

A Business Today report said the feature includes the same privacy and safety protections already available across Instagram, including options to block, mute and restrict users. Teen accounts will also continue to operate under parental supervision settings.

With Instants, Instagram appears to be targeting users seeking more private and low-pressure ways to share everyday moments, as social media platforms increasingly compete to promote more personal and real-time communication.

Meta has discontinued end-to-end encrypted direct messaging on Instagram, bringing an end to a feature that had been introduced as part of the company’s broader push towards private communication.

The company has informed users with existing encrypted chats through in-app notifications, advising them to save important messages, images and other media before the feature is fully removed.

End-to-end encryption (E2EE) ensures that only the sender and recipient can read messages. With the feature now withdrawn from Instagram, Meta will retain the ability to access message content, including photos, videos and voice notes, where necessary.

Instagram will continue to use standard encryption, which secures data while it is transmitted between devices and servers but still allows the platform to access content under certain circumstances.

Meta had previously promoted private messaging as “the future of communication” and had spent several years expanding encryption tools across its platforms, including Facebook Messenger. While Facebook Messenger eventually adopted default end-to-end encryption, Instagram’s version remained optional and saw limited use.

According to multiple reports, the company decided to discontinue the feature because relatively few users actively enabled encrypted chats on Instagram.

Privacy advocates, however, argued that optional security tools often struggle with adoption because users are required to manually activate them.

The rollback has been welcomed by some child protection organisations, including the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, which has previously argued that encrypted messaging can make it more difficult to detect online abuse and harmful activity involving children.

The development comes amid growing scrutiny of social media platforms and their impact on younger users. A recent study involving more than 8,000 children aged between 10 and 14 found that spending more than 30 minutes daily on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat may contribute to a gradual decline in concentration levels over time.

With IANS inputs

Instagram has reportedly removed millions of bot and inactive accounts in a major platform-wide cleanup drive in 2026, triggering sharp drops in follower counts for celebrities, influencers and brands across social media.

According to reports circulated by PopBase, several high-profile personalities witnessed sudden declines in their follower numbers after the purge. Among the most affected was Kylie Jenner, who reportedly lost more than 14 million followers following the cleanup exercise.

Several other creators, influencers and public figures also saw significant overnight drops in followers and engagement figures as the platform removed fake, automated and inactive profiles.

The large-scale action quickly sparked reactions online, with users dubbing it the “Great Purge of 2026”.

Users across social media platforms shared screenshots showing steep declines in follower counts, while some joked that even major verified accounts were not spared.

One user on X claimed that Instagram’s own official account had reportedly lost nearly 9 million followers during the purge.

“Even Instagram's own official account reportedly lost over 9 million followers during the cleanup. Nobody was safe,” the user wrote.

Instagram routinely conducts such cleanups to improve authenticity and reduce fake engagement on the platform. Bot accounts are often used to artificially inflate likes, comments, followers and engagement metrics for influencers, brands and content creators.

Responding to the reports, Meta said the cleanup was part of its regular efforts to remove inactive accounts and maintain platform integrity.

A spokesperson for Meta clarified that active users and genuine followers were not affected by the process.

“As part of our routine process to remove inactive accounts, some Instagram accounts may have noticed updates to their follower counts. Active followers remain unaffected, and any restored suspended account will be included in the count again after verification,” the spokesperson said.

The reported purge has once again reignited conversations around fake engagement, purchased followers and the pressure on influencers and brands to maintain large social media audiences.

With IANS inputs