Snap is laying off roughly 16% of its global workforce, impacting around 1,000 full-time employees, according to a memo sent to staff from Snap CEO Evan Spiegel on Wednesday. The company cites advancements in AI for the cuts.
“While these changes are necessary to realize Snap’s long-term potential, we believe that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence enable our teams to reduce repetitive work, increase velocity, and better support our community, partners, and advertisers,” the memo, made public via an SEC filing, reads. “We have already witnessed small squads leveraging AI tools to drive meaningful progress across several important initiatives, including Snapchat+, enhanced ad platform performance, and efficiency improvements in our Snap Lite infrastructure.”
Spiegel also wrote that the company is closing more than 300 open roles. Snap had about 5,261 full-time employees as of December 2025.
The company says the cuts will allow it to reduce its annualized cost base by more than $500 million by the second half of 2026, helping to “establish a clearer path to net-income profitability.”
“Snap faces a crucible moment — squeezed between giants with enormous resources and nimble startups moving fast,” the company wrote in a presentation to investors. “To meet this moment, we are pivoting toward profitable growth.”
Employees based in the U.S. will receive four months of severance, healthcare coverage, equity vesting, and transition support.
The company joins a growing list of tech companies that have undergone significant cuts this year, including Meta, Oracle, and Amazon.
