Former Meta employees sue over alleged AI role in layoffs

In short: 26 former Meta employees filed a lawsuit claiming Meta used AI-driven performance rankings that unfairly flagged people on medical or parental leave for layoffs.

What happened

A group of 26 former Meta employees is suing the company, saying it used internal AI tools to help decide who would be laid off. AI, short for artificial intelligence, is software that can sort and score information, a bit like an automated judge for spreadsheets.

According to the lawsuit, Meta collected performance data using a “constellation” of internal AI tools. The employees say these tools were used to score and rank workers, then help select who would be included on termination lists.

The lawsuit claims the ranking system did not properly exclude employees who were on parental leave or medical leave. The former employees argue that this caused people who took legally protected time off to be picked for layoffs more often, because the system treated their time away like poor performance.

The layoffs in question happened in May, when Meta said it planned to cut about 10 percent of its staff, or roughly 8,000 workers.

Meta denied the accusations. A spokesperson told The Verge that the claims “lack merit” and said workforce decisions “were and are made by people, not AI.”

Why it matters

Many companies use software to track performance and manage teams. This case highlights a simple risk, if a scoring tool does not understand context, like medical leave, it can punish people for doing something the law protects. If the lawsuit moves forward, it could influence how employers use AI tools in hiring, reviews, and layoffs.

Source: The Verge AI