Reuters details Meta’s cancelled Project OT plan to replace staff with AI agents

Internal documents show Meta developed Project OT to become “AI native,” exploring reductions of up to 60 percent in the size of many teams across two restructuring waves, with AI agents intended to perform substantial daily work. The second wave was cancelled hours before May 2026 layoffs following employee resistance and internal evidence that agent productivity gains fell short of expectations. The episode highlights practical constraints on large-scale workforce replacement by current agent systems.