Meta is laying off 168 employees in Washington state as part of a broader nationwide reduction, according to a filing with the state Employment Security Department, marking the third round of significant cuts the company has made in the state within the past year.
The affected workers are primarily based in Seattle, Redmond, and Bellevue, with 39 working remotely within the state. The cuts span engineering, product management, managerial, and recruiting roles, with positions in Reality Labs, Meta’s augmented and virtual reality division that produces hardware, software, and wearable devices including smart glasses, among the most heavily impacted. The layoffs take effect starting 8 May.
A Meta spokesperson said the reductions are part of routine organisational adjustments. “Teams across Meta regularly restructure or implement changes to ensure they’re in the best position to achieve their goals. Where possible, we are finding other opportunities for employees whose positions may be impacted,” the spokesperson said.
The latest cuts follow a January round that affected 331 Washington employees as Meta trimmed its Reality Labs division, and an October reduction that cut more than 100 workers in the state as part of broader layoffs within its artificial intelligence division. Meta employs thousands of people across multiple Seattle-region offices, one of its largest engineering hubs outside its Menlo Park headquarters.
The repeated workforce reductions, combined with the increased use of artificial intelligence in the company’s operations, have driven significant productivity gains. Meta’s average revenue per employee has risen 85% over the past three years, according to Axios. The latest layoffs coincide with the release of a new stock programme targeting six top executives, which could increase their compensation by up to $921 million each over the next five years, the New York Times reported last week.
