A lawsuit has been filed by 26 employees of Meta, alleging that the company utilized artificial intelligence technology to select individuals for layoffs, with a focus on those on medical, parental, or family leave. These employees are part of the 8,000 workforce reduction announced by Meta in May. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Oakland, California, accuses Meta of using various internal AI systems and monitoring methods to identify employees for termination.
According to the lawsuit, the evaluation methods used by Meta disadvantaged employees on protected medical or family leave, as their scores could not be accumulated during their absence. The company allegedly did not consider protected leave when assessing employee performance and did not conduct the necessary individualized reviews as mandated by law. Consequently, individuals on protected leave were disproportionately impacted by the layoffs, including the 26 employees involved in the lawsuit who had taken protected leave or sought accommodations for disabilities.
Although these employees have been informed of their impending layoffs, they are still currently employed by Meta, with separations scheduled to commence on July 22. The lawsuit highlights that many of the affected employees were on parental or medical leave, leading to decreased measured output during their absence. One employee disclosed a serious health condition and disability approved by Meta’s provider but was allegedly discouraged from taking leave by a manager who implied it would result in being selected for layoffs.
Meta has responded by stating that the claims are unfounded and not based on facts, asserting that human decisions, not AI, govern workforce management choices. The lawsuit alleges violations of various state and federal laws, including the Family and Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Pregnancy Discrimination Act, and Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The plaintiffs’ legal representatives have emphasized the need to maintain the current employment status of the workers until arbitration is completed to prevent irreversible consequences such as loss of health coverage, forfeiture of benefits, and immigration issues.