Zuckerberg warns 'success isn't a given' as 10% of Meta workforce laid off

Tech giant Meta has laid off 10% of its workforce - as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg warns that "success isn't a given".

Mr Zuckerberg announced the cuts in a company-wide memo on Wednesday, and also revealed that 7,000 employees would be transferred into AI roles as part of a larger restructure.

"Success isn't a given," Mr Zuckerberg said.

"AI is the most consequential technology of our lifetimes. The companies that lead the way will define the next generation."

The Facebook owner later said that he did not expect any further "company-wide" layoffs this year, and acknowledged that "we haven't been as clear as we aspire to be in our communication, and that's one area I want to make sure we improve."

The layoffs and transfers announced are thought to be impacting about 20% of the company's total workforce.

It comes after Meta - which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp - previously said that it was planning to lay off about 8,000 workers in a bid to make efficiency savings as it ramps up investment in AI.

The company also said in April that around 6,000 job vacancies were to be left unfilled.

'Landmark' trial

Earlier this year, Meta were ordered to pay $375m (£280m) in damages after it was found to have knowingly harmed children's mental health.

In what was described by campaigners as a "watershed moment", a court in New Mexico, USA, found the company had concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its social media platforms.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex hailed the "landmark" ruling and declared: "The floodgates are now open. There will be more cases, more demands for reform, and more insistence on responsibility."

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As part of the seven-week trial in Sante Fe, Mr Zuckerberg took the stand in front of a jury for the first time.

During his testimony, he insisted that he built his platforms "to have a positive impact in people's lives".

"It's very important to me that what we do [...] is a positive force in their lives," he told the jury.

Following the verdict, a Meta spokesperson said the company disagreed with the ruling and would appeal.

They said: "We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and are clear about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors or harmful content.

"We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online."

(c) Sky News 2026: Zuckerberg warns 'success isn't a given' as 10% of Meta workforce laid off