Meta is slashing 8,000 jobs and leaving another 6,000 roles unfilled to redirect billions toward AI infrastructure, with 2026 capital expenditure expected to hit $135 billion.
Meta announced it will cut approximately 10% of its global workforce starting May 20, with capital spending in 2026 expected to reach $115 to $135 billion.
The largest ad platform in the world is reshaping its cost structure around AI, which will change how ads are built, targeted and measured for every business running Meta campaigns.
Australian advertisers on Meta face an increasingly AI-driven ad stack where manual campaign controls continue to shrink and algorithmic targeting becomes the default.
Every business running Meta Ads, plus marketing teams evaluating headcount versus automation investment for their own operations.
Businesses slow to adopt AI-driven campaign formats on Meta will see declining performance as the platform optimises for advertisers who lean into automation.
Audit your Meta campaign structure now for Advantage+ and AI-driven format readiness.
Review your own team's AI tool adoption to stay competitive as platforms shift to algorithmic delivery.
