Meta delayed layoffs to automate jobs? Viral post reveals employees were given a special task

A viral post on X is adding fuel to the growing debate around AI and job cuts at Meta. The post, shared by a user named Julian, claims on X that employees at the company were first asked to build internal AI tools before layoffs began rolling out across teams. The post has now crossed nearly one million views and has triggered strong reactions online, especially at a time when Meta is carrying out another major restructuring exercise focused heavily on AI. While India Today couldn't independently verify the claims made by the post, the timing has caught attention because Meta recently started laying off employees across multiple regions, including Singapore, Europe, and the US. Thousands of workers reportedly began receiving termination emails on May 20, with some employees getting notices as early as 4AM local time. Read Full Story In the viral post, Julian claimed that Meta had organised a company-wide “AI week” a few months ago. According to him, regular work was paused and employees were instructed to familiarise themselves with AI tools and workflows. He further alleged that by the end of the week, workers were required to create the early version of an internal AI product that could later be developed further inside the company and used by Meta. "Projects that were approved were chosen to continue further development with AI and engineers," the post said. An X user claims Meta used people to create an AI product internally before laying them off. The user also claimed that his wife spent the next few months refining one such AI project alongside senior leadership and engineers, even though she believed the tool could eventually replace her own role. “Fast forward to today: She’s canned,” the post added. The emotional message quickly went viral, with many users calling it a warning sign for white-collar jobs in the AI era. Several people on X shared similar fears, suggesting companies are increasingly restructuring teams around automation and AI-driven workflows. If the post holds any accuracy, it does suggest that Meta deliberately delayed the layoffs to get some work done on AI before sacking people because the news of this came out last month that the layoffs will take place on May 20. The decision for this would likely have been taken months before, but there is no information on this in the public domain. Users reading this are still advised to take the details with a pinch of salt as the post's claims are not verified yet. The latest layoffs at Meta appear to be closely tied to the company’s aggressive AI ambitions. According to an internal memo reviewed by Bloomberg, Meta’s Head of People Janelle Gale said the company wants flatter teams and smaller AI-focused groups that can “move faster and with more ownership.” Meta has reportedly reassigned around 7,000 employees to teams focused on AI products and AI agents as the company increases its focus on AI projects. For Mark Zuckerberg, AI reportedly remains the main focus area for the company going forward. Reports suggest Meta could invest over $100 billion into AI infrastructure and related technologies this year as it competes with companies like Google and OpenAI in the rapidly growing AI space. Zuckerberg says no more company-wide layoffs expected this year At the same time, the company is trying to calm fears internally. In a note sent to employees, Zuckerberg reportedly said he does not expect more “company-wide” layoffs this year, though he left room for targeted cuts in certain divisions. He also said Meta employees are increasingly working in smaller AI-native “pods” with less management and bureaucracy. The layoffs have also sparked concerns among employees about how far Meta’s AI push could go. Reports suggest more than 1,000 workers recently signed a petition objecting to the company collecting detailed device activity data for AI training purposes. Even investors are said to be watching the spending closely. Analysts cited in a Bloomberg report estimate the latest layoffs could save Meta roughly $3 billion, a relatively small amount compared to the company’s projected AI spending, which could reportedly touch $145 billion this year. Ends