Meta plans to lay off 1,395 employees in King County, Washington, by July 2026. The cuts are part of a strategic pivot toward artificial intelligence, the company said in a regulatory filing.
Where the cuts hit
King County covers the Seattle area, including Bellevue and Redmond, where Meta has large engineering and research offices. The layoffs will unfold over the next two years, affecting roles across multiple teams. Meta did not specify which departments or job functions will take the biggest hit, but the company has been reallocating resources toward AI infrastructure and product development.
A familiar pattern
This is not Meta’s first wave of job cuts in the region. The company eliminated thousands of positions globally in 2023 as part of a “year of efficiency.” The latest reduction brings the total number of planned or completed layoffs in King County to several thousand since late 2022, though Meta has not released a county-by-county breakdown for prior rounds.
Why King County
King County is home to Meta’s second-largest U.S. office hub after Menlo Park, California. The area has long been a battleground for tech talent, with Amazon and Microsoft also headquartered there. The layoffs come as Meta shifts spending from metaverse-related projects toward generative AI and large language models.
What comes next
Affected employees will receive severance packages and outplacement services, according to the filing. The layoffs are scheduled to be completed by July 31, 2026. For now, Meta has not announced any further reductions beyond King County, but the company’s focus on AI could mean more reorganization ahead.
