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8 sources·Started 14d ago·Updated 12d ago
Meta accused of using AI to target workers on medical, parental leave for layoffs
MetaMetamateFamily and Medical Leave ActAmericans with Disabilities ActPregnancy Discrimination ActOaklandCaliforniaU.S. District Court
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Twenty-six Meta employees have filed a lawsuit accusing the company of using AI-powered systems that disproportionately targeted workers on medical, parental, or family leave for layoffs. The lawsuit, filed in Oakland federal court, seeks to block the terminations set to begin July 22. Source: AP News, LA Times
The AI systems at issue
According to the complaint, Meta relied on a suite of internal AI tools including the Metamate LLM assistant, employee-trained 'second brain' agents, keystroke and activity monitoring data, and AI token usage dashboards to score and rank employees for the cut of 8,000 jobs (10% of its workforce). Source: Gizmodo, Engadget The plaintiffs argue that these metrics penalized workers who had taken leave, since reduced output or absence resulted in lower scores. Source: The Next Web
Legal basis and demands
The plaintiffs claim violations of federal and state laws including the Family and Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, and Pregnancy Discrimination Act. Source: Fox Business About half of the plaintiffs took pregnancy or parental leave. Source: AP News They are asking the court for a preliminary injunction to halt the layoffs while they pursue arbitration, and for an independent audit of the AI selection process. Source: LA Times
Meta's response
Meta denied the allegations, stating that 'workforce management and organizational decisions were and are made by people, not AI.' Source: Fox Business The company called the claims meritless. Source: AP News
Story timeline · 6 earlier headlines
- Meta Sued by 26 Employees Over AI Layoff Targeting13d ago · 4 sources
- Meta sued for using AI to target workers on medical leave for layoffs13d ago · 3 sources
- Meta sued over alleged use of biased AI in layoffs targeting workers on medical leave13d ago · 4 sources
- Meta sued over AI-assisted layoff targeting medical leave13d ago · 4 sources
- Meta sued by 26 employees over AI use in layoff selections targeting medical leave13d ago · 4 sources
- Meta employees sue over alleged AI-driven layoffs targeting medical leave13d ago · 5 sources
- Meta accused of using AI to target workers on medical, parental leave for layoffscurrent
Sources
5 quotesLA Times↗
““The result was that employees who took protected leaves were disproportionately selected for layoff, based on scoring that not only failed to account for their protected leaves, but in effect penalized the employees for exercising their legal rights to these leaves,””
Fox Business↗
““These claims lack merit and are not based on facts,” a Meta spokesperson said.”
AP News↗
“Many of these scores and ratings “by design, cannot be accumulated by an employee who is on protected medical or family leave””
Engadget↗
““Workforce management and organizational decisions were and are made by people, not AI,” Meta said.”
The Next Web↗
“It appears to be the first lawsuit against a major US technology company to challenge the use of AI in conducting layoffs.”