META (Facebook, Instagram) Dumps Another 168 WA Workers for AI

No specifics about what the worker's jobs were was released, but another 168 WA  workers will be gone by May at Meta.

   Meta Continues to Plunge Headfirst into AI Development

Perhaps more than any other social media platform, Meta (the parent company of Instagram and Facebook) is committing billions of dollars to AI development, all while gassing hundreds of jobs.  According to a WARN Alert from WA State Employment Security, 168 more will be gone soon.

They let go 331 WA workers in January from its Reality Labs Division, 100 were laid off last October as the company at that time announced more AI division consolidation.

 Many of the Jobs Were In the Reality Universe Division

This part of Meta deals with virtual reality gaming and experiences.  Earler this year when the company let go 331 workers, including a lot of engineers, they said it was at least partially due to another emphasis on developing a more "real" version of AI, more humanlike.

The new round of layoffs will again center around Puget Sound, but also includes remote workers around WA.

   Facebook Continues to Plow Forward With AI Despite Warnings From Some

Recently, Geekwire, the leading tech magazine (based out of Seattle) had experts debating whether AI will eventually destoy the white collar job market.  Especially those in tech and digital, computers, etc.   The results of their discussion are rather eye-opening.

Information from Meta, either official or leaked, indicates they could, by the end of 2026, or early 2027, end up dropping up to 20 percent of their total workforce, and again, in pursuit of AI development.