Meta has laid off 8,000 employees in a single day, sending termination emails at 4 a.m. on May 20, 2026. The layoffs affected high-performing engineers, some of whom were working late into the night. The company had previously instructed all staff to work remotely before the mass termination. Remaining employees are now subject to monitoring software on their computers. According to internal sources, Meta is tracking staff operations to train AI systems intended to replace more roles. Despite these layoffs, Meta is reporting record-breaking profits. The company continues to enforce internal stack ranking, impacting mid- and junior-level engineers, including those on H-1B visas, as part of efforts to boost stock prices.