Meta Platforms Inc.Project OT scaled back, 8,000 job cuts, and productivity gains lagged, raising investor concerns about AI investment returns.

Reuters revealed that Meta's Project OT, an initiative to replace thousands of employees with AI agents, was scaled back after internal data showed productivity gains lagged. The plan, code-named Organization Transformation, envisioned an AI-native future with cuts of up to 60% in some teams, but on May 19, Zuckerberg halted the first wave, resulting in about 8,000 job cuts, roughly 10% of the workforce, and canceling the November wave. Internal data showed code changes rose 220% year over year, but user-facing feature upgrades only increased 36%, and tracking software on employee devices sparked revolt. Meta confirmed the project, describing it as a yearlong cost-cutting effort, while Zuckerberg has been using a personal 'CEO agent' to compress decision chains. The productivity gap between AI investment and user-facing output is a key concern for investors, especially as Meta faces a trial over addictive design targeting children.
Meta Platforms Inc.Project OT scaled back, 8,000 job cuts, and productivity gains lagged, raising investor concerns about AI investment returns.