Meta is strengthening its presence in India with a new office in Bengaluru, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) and engineering roles. The expansion comes at a time when the company has been implementing large scale global layoffs, reinforcing India’s importance in Meta’s long term strategy.
Despite multiple rounds of job cuts affecting over 21,000 employees globally since 2023, Meta is shifting resources toward high priority areas, particularly AI and enterprise engineering.
The new Bengaluru centre will house Meta’s Enterprise Engineering team, which works on developing internal tools and productivity enhancing software. The company has already listed 41 open positions for the Bengaluru office, covering software engineering, machine learning, AI, and data centre hardware design.
This move aligns with Meta’s broader push into AI and automation, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg previously stating that the company is prioritising AI investments over non-essential projects.
India has emerged as a key engineering hub for global tech giants, thanks to its large talent pool, cost efficiency, and booming AI ecosystem. The Bengaluru expansion places Meta in direct competition with other tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple, all of whom have significantly increased their hiring for AI and cloud computing roles in the country.
Meta already operates offices in Gurugram, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, but the Bengaluru expansion signals a more R&D focused approach. With Bengaluru widely regarded as India’s tech capital, the company is likely to benefit from the city’s thriving startup ecosystem, AI research centres, and strong pipeline of engineering talent.
While Meta has been cutting jobs globally as part of efficiency restructuring, its hiring in India suggests a cost optimisation strategy. By shifting some engineering functions to Bengaluru, Meta may be looking to reduce operational costs while maintaining its AI and enterprise technology development.
Industry analysts believe this is part of a larger tech industry trend—global companies are focusing on regional talent hubs rather than keeping all R&D operations concentrated in Silicon Valley.
Meta has been steadily expanding its presence in India over the past decade. Some key milestones include:
- Large user base: India remains one of Meta’s biggest markets, with over 400 million Facebook users and a strong presence of Instagram and WhatsApp.
- Business partnerships: Meta has invested heavily in Indian startups and partnered with companies like Jio to drive digital transformation.
- AI and AR/VR research: The company has been developing AI and augmented reality (AR) applications for emerging markets, with India playing a central role in these innovations.
Meta’s decision to expand in India despite global workforce reductions is seen as a vote of confidence in the country’s engineering and AI capabilities. It also highlights Bengaluru’s growing importance as an AI development centre.
With AI, automation, and cloud computing driving the next wave of technological transformation, Meta’s Bengaluru expansion could have long-term implications for India’s position in the global tech landscape.
While Meta continues to streamline operations worldwide, its India first approach in hiring and AI development signals a strategic realignment. Whether this results in a full-fledged AI research hub in India remains to be seen, but for now, the Bengaluru expansion is a clear indication of where the company sees its future growth.
