MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA — Meta instructed employees in its wearables and ads divisions to work remotely on Wednesday as the company prepares cost-cutting plans. Some Meta employees received an email on Tuesday night instructing them to work remotely on Wednesday. The HR email said leadership would share more information.

The instruction came as some Meta managers were tasked earlier this month with drawing up cost-cutting plans. A fifth or more of Meta employees could be let go, according to preliminary internal estimates.

If a fifth or more of Meta employees are laid off, this could translate to about 16,000 job cuts. At the end of 2025, Meta employed nearly 79,000 people.

The potential cuts follow other recent workforce reductions at the company. In January, Meta laid off roughly 10% to 15% of its employees in its Reality Labs group.

Meta's wearables unit, which includes AI glasses and its augmented reality business, is one of the company's several key investment areas for 2026, according to its latest earnings report. The company's stock price has decreased by nearly 3% over the past year.