Twenty-six current and former Meta employees file a federal discrimination lawsuit alleging the company’s AI-enabled systems helped select workers for recent mass layoffs. The plaintiffs, who filed in Oakland, California, say layoffs that began after Meta cut about 10% of its workforce—nearly 8,000 people—were influenced by automated scoring and performance data. They contend the internal process relied on factors such as productivity measures and AI token-usage dashboards, along with other workplace data, which they argue penalized workers who had taken protected leave for medical reasons, disability-related conditions, or family caregiving.
The plaintiffs seek interim relief to block terminations scheduled to start July 22. They argue Meta’s scoring system did not account for protected absences and effectively punished employees for exercising legally protected leave. Meta disputes the allegations, saying workforce decisions were made by people, not AI, and that the claims lack merit. Separately, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledges that executives miscalculated the restructuring’s timing and impact, according to reporting summarized by multiple outlets.
