Meta tried to go “AI Native.” It flopped.

Mark Zuckerberg had hoped to cut many teams up to 60%.

One Essential Read One Essential Read Recommended by Steve Stecklow, Investigative Editor How Meta's bold plan to replace staff with AI imploded   Mark Zuckerberg at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo Ever since the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022, Silicon Valley leaders have been imagining the revolutionary possibilities that generative AI might unleash for the future of work. In January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his top lieutenants hatched a radical plan to remake the social-media giant in the age of artificial intelligence. It didn’t go well. This article reveals for the first time the rapid pace of the cuts Meta was considering, the thinking behind the plans and how they quickly unraveled. It is based on scores of internal documents, posts and recordings reviewed by Reuters, as well as conversations with more than 20 people with knowledge of Meta’s inner workings. Read the special report   Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters' website   Reuters One Essential Read is sent three days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here. Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. This email includes limited tracking for Reuters to understand whether you’ve engaged with its contents. For more information on how we process your personal information and your rights, please see our Privacy Statement. Terms & Conditions   © 2026 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036