Dozens of Meta employees have filed a lawsuit against the social media giant, alleging that it used artificial intelligence tools to target workers for mass layoffs, specifically those who had taken protected leave or requested disability accommodations. The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in the northern district of California, relates to Meta's workforce reduction of approximately 8,000 employees earlier this year.
AI Systems Used to Score and Rank Employees
The 71-page complaint claims that Meta deployed a "constellation of internal artificial intelligence systems," including AI performance ratings and keystroke- and activity-monitoring data, to determine which employees to lay off. "Meta did not assemble the termination list through the considered judgment of managers who knew the work," the complaint states. Instead, the 26 plaintiffs allege the company used AI systems "to score, rank and select employees for inclusion on the list."
The plaintiffs are seeking a preliminary court ruling to stop Meta from finalizing the layoffs while they pursue their claims, along with relief that could include reinstatement, back pay, lost equity, benefits, and other damages.
Protected Leave Penalized by AI Metrics
The lawsuit alleges that Meta's AI tools gather data on employees' performance rankings, productivity, and other metrics, but these inputs are unavailable when workers are on medical or family leave. For people with disabilities, those metrics might be reduced. "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," the complaint reads.
One plaintiff, a scientist on approved pre-birth pregnancy leave, was notified of her layoff just two days before giving birth. Another plaintiff, an engineer, said he received a "lowered rating" because of time taken off for an injury. A third, a manager on medical leave, was let go 16 days into his leave.
Meta Disputes Allegations
A Meta spokesperson disputed the allegations, stating, "These claims lack merit and are not based on facts. Workforce management and organizational decisions were and are made by people, not AI." The company introduced its AI employee-monitoring program earlier this year, designed to capture workers' keystrokes, mouse activity, browser history, messages, emails, and location data on company devices. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the idea was to train AI systems on employee behaviors, noting, "The AI models learn from watching really smart people do things."
Employee Backlash and Program Pause
The lawsuit claims Meta launched the monitoring program without employee buy-in, via a "low-visibility internal post – made by an engineer rather than a senior leader." Employees received no consent or acknowledgment prompt, and initially, there was no opt-out. Backlash ensued, with over 1,600 employees signing a petition against the program, prompting Zuckerberg to pause it in June.
In Monday's suit, plaintiffs' lawyers requested an immediate independent audit of Meta's AI tools to clarify why the 26 workers on leave or disability accommodation were let go. "Meta deliberately kept the mechanics of its selection process secret from its employees," the lawyers said in an emailed statement.
Urgency and Irreversible Harm
The plaintiffs remain Meta employees until 22 July, when their termination is set to begin. Citing retaliation concerns, their attorneys are asking the judge to allow anonymity and preserve employment status while arbitration is pending. "Once these separations are final, the harms are irreversible: employer-subsidized health coverage lost during pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and active medical treatment; time-bound leave rights extinguished; unvested equity forfeited; and immigration consequences triggered," the lawyers said.
