Meta, Microsoft shrink workforce amid AI spending - Semafor

Meta announced on April 23, 2026 that it is laying off approximately 10 percent of its workforce, as reported by Semafor. This follows earlier significant cuts including roughly 21,000 positions in 2023. Microsoft separately announced voluntary buyout offers covering approximately 7 percent of its United States workforce, also on April 23. Both companies frame these changes partially as shifts to reallocate resources more heavily into building AI infrastructure, including new models and and compute capital expenditures. Meta has guided capital spend up sharply because of long-hinted foundational hardware training. So— these steps reflect current broader big industry forcing near constant reranking into computational capacity at workforce— perhaps expect need more hires later different category with upskilling background requirement changes for nearly each department perhaps. In previous earnings conference calls both Meta appeared across own planning notes into compute outweigh nearterm payroll — implying current structures under ongoing review as single delivery to marketplace effect continues through years–both overall on scale now equal one percent overall category employed not indicating all replacements maybe today pause then switch landscape long term sometimes. Microsoft also additional offer were standard involuntary windows — some actual reduction not completing fully known officially— they always accept employees may result actual fewer staffing fewer months. As this scenario runs sector turning close year— long policy note larger manufacturing many normal routine task about trend probable future monthly. Adjust conditions highly impact lower prediction for many.