WANA (May 02) – Meta has reported a dip in its stock value following its first-quarter 2026 financial report, citing a slowdown in user growth and the absence of Iranian users as contributing factors.

 

Shares of the tech giant fell approximately 7% in after-hours trading on Wednesday. The decline followed a report showing lower-than-expected capital expenditures and user growth figures that failed to meet market projections.

 

Meta revealed that its “Daily Active People” reached 3.56 billion in the first quarter. While this represents a 4% increase year-over-year, it marks a decline of more than 5% compared to the fourth quarter. The company explicitly noted that the drop in the number of users in Iran impacted these totals.

 

The report also detailed a shifting workforce landscape. As of late March, Meta’s headcount stood at 77,986, a 1% increase over the previous year. However, despite rising investments, the company continues to reduce its workforce. Current measures include laying off approximately 10% of its staff (roughly 8,000 employees) and freezing recruitment for 6,000 open positions.

 

These cuts follow previous downsizings, including the layoff of 1,000 employees from the Reality Labs division in January and several hundred additional cuts across Facebook, global operations, and sales departments in March.