Meta Lays Off Thousands as Salesforce Hires 1,000 Graduates

The technology sector is experiencing a stark divergence in employment strategies as companies pivot toward artificial intelligence. Meta is laying off thousands of employees, including over 8,000 roles, to reduce costs and offset the high expenses of AI investment. The company is replacing process-driven roles with AI systems, a trend mirrored by other firms such as Microsoft, Oracle, Snap, and Block, with the latter attributing cuts to AI-enabled efficiency.

In contrast, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff announced the company is hiring 1,000 new graduates and interns to develop AI platforms Agentforce and Headless360. Benioff and Trump administration AI expert David Sacks argue that AI creates new opportunities for entry-level workers, with Sacks citing data that shows an increase in new college graduate hiring.

These conflicting trends have sparked a debate over the future of white-collar work. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned that AI could eliminate 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs within five years, describing the impact as unusually painful. In response to the volatile market, former Meta and Salesforce executive Clara Shih launched the New Work Foundation to help young professionals adapt to an economy where AI proficiency is now a baseline requirement.