Mashadipati: Meta presents a jobs vs AI tradeoff

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Sustainable Finance

By Ross Kerber, U.S. Sustainable Business Correspondent

Big layoffs planned by Meta could help the Facebook parent cut costs enough to pay for its huge bets on artificial intelligence. But they could also set the stage for fewer jobs elsewhere in the tech industry if other companies take the strategy as their own model.

You can read up on my colleagues' exclusive coverage in this week's main story, linked below. I'm also highlighting our Iran war coverage and the unintended boost it could provide wind and solar energy as markets judge risk.

Please follow me on LinkedIn and/or Bluesky. You can reach me via [email protected].

Latest Headlines

Cars drive past a sign of Facebook parent Meta at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, U.S. October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

Meta plans layoffs as AI costs mount

Meta plans sweeping layoffs that could affect 20% or more of its staff, my Reuters colleagues reported exclusively. The company has been trying to offset costly artificial intelligence infrastructure bets and prepare for greater efficiency brought about by AI-assisted workers.

Details about the cuts have not been finalized, their sources said. But top executives have recently signaled the plans to other senior leaders at Meta and told them to begin planning how to pare back.

You can read the full story by clicking the button below. You'll also find a sharp analysis of the move by our Breakingviews columnist Robert Cyran here. His hot take: while the move raises fears of AI destroying jobs, Meta alternatively may just be struggling with over-investment.

Read this week's main story here

Company news

The big American Federation of Teachers union said it would continue its boycott of Target unless the retailer takes a stand against abuses by U.S. immigration authorities in its home state of Minnesota. A company spokesman noted Target's support for education nonprofits and discounts it offers teachers.
Lawsuit plaintiffs including two minors claimed Elon Musk's xAI designed its Grok image generator to let people create sexually explicit content by ‌using real photos of others.
European Union antitrust regulators were urged to wrap up a probe into Google's alleged favoritism in online searches by a group of European publishers, tech firms and startups.

On my radar

Smoke rises after a reported strike on an oil refinery, in Tehran, Iran, March 8, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

The United Nations' climate secretary told Reuters that disruptions to energy markets caused by the Iran war show the risks of reliance on fossil fuels, and should accelerate the energy transition.
Call me a fan of our Breakingviews columnist Ron Bousso, who struck a similar note in his piece on how "Iran war shatters Trump's case for fossil fuels." Also: oil at $200/barrel?
After the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump won a court ruling backing its overhaul of a diversity-in-hiring program, minority-owned businesses say they are being shut out of billions of dollars in construction work.

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Meta presents a jobs vs AI tradeoff

Latest Headlines

Meta plans layoffs as AI costs mount

Company news

On my radar

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