Meta’s AI staffing plan scaled back as Project OT fails to meet targets

Mark Zuckerberg wanted to build the leanest version of Meta that AI could enable. Instead, he got a case study in how ambition without execution can backfire spectacularly. Reuters journalist Katie Paul revealed the details of Meta’s internal initiative, dubbed Project OT (Organization Transformation), which aimed to transition the company to what leadership called an “AI-native” workforce. The plan envisioned cutting up to 60% of certain teams across two layoff waves, replacing human workers with AI tools operating under smaller human oversight groups. The second wave never happened. What Project OT actually looked like Zuckerberg first laid out the vision at his Hawaii retreat in January 2026. The concept was straightforward in theory: deploy AI across daily operations, shrink teams dramatically, and pocket the cost savings. Two rounds of cuts were scheduled for May and November to execute this transformation over the course of the year. Meta confirmed the initiative as a year-long planning exercise focused on cost-cutting and shifting teams toward AI. Not every department was in the crosshairs, but the scale of the ambition was hard to miss. The May layoff proceeded. On May 20, ...