# Zuckerberg Admits Meta AI Push "Hasn't Accelerated" After 8,000 Layoffs

*2026-07-09 02:02 UTC · Business · 1 min read*

> Two months after cutting 8,000 jobs to fund its AI pivot, Zuckerberg told staff the payoff "hasn't really accelerated" as hoped.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees at a July 2 town hall that the company's AI agent development "hasn't really accelerated in the way that we expected" over the prior four months, according to a recording heard by Reuters. He acknowledged the sweeping reorganization behind the comments wasn't as "clean" as planned.

The admission comes two months after Meta cut roughly 8,000 jobs — about 10% of its then-80,000-person workforce — hitting integrity, cybersecurity, content design and Reality Labs teams hardest while shielding AI infrastructure and monetization groups. Nearly 7,000 of the affected workers were redirected into new AI-focused teams instead of losing their jobs outright. Laid-off US staff received 16 weeks of severance plus two weeks per year of tenure, with health coverage extended 18 months.

The reshuffle sits atop a massive capital bet: Meta has committed $125-145 billion in 2026 capital expenditure, more than double last year's $72.2 billion, almost entirely aimed at AI compute and data centers. Zuckerberg told staff he still expects meaningful benefits within three to six months, even as internal morale metrics — Meta's Blind employee rating is down 25% from its 2024 peak — show growing unease about the payoff.

## Sources

- [finance.yahoo.com](https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/laying-off-8-000-employees-121545621.html)
- [247wallst.com](https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/07/07/after-laying-off-8000-employees-zuckerberg-admits-metas-ai-hasnt-really-accelerated-as-expected/)

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TechTools News · https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/1972-zuckerberg-admits-meta-ai-push-hasn-t-accelerated-after-8-000-layoffs
Česká verze: https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/2045-zuckerberg-priznal-ze-ai-plan-metay-se-nezrychlil-po-propusteni-8-000-lidi