- Twenty-six former employees of Meta Platforms have filed a lawsuit accusing the company of using AI-powered software that disproportionately targeted people with disabilities or those on medical leave during mass layoffs. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
- 26 former employees sue Meta, alleging AI-driven layoff bias that discriminated against disabled, medical leave, and pregnant workers.
- The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court in Oakland, California and claims Meta used AI-assisted metrics including productivity levels and AI token usage to select employees for layoffs.
- Plaintiffs allege Meta violated federal and state employment laws prohibiting discrimination and retaliation against employees with disabilities or those on medical leave.
- Meta had announced a 10% workforce reduction (nearly 8,000 employees) with the first layoffs in May of that year.
- The lawsuit argues that the evaluation process disproportionately impacted employees who could not maintain productivity due to approved medical absences, and that metrics tied to output and AI tool usage failed to account for legitimate leave.
- A Meta spokesperson rejected the allegations, stating the claims are without merit and that workforce decisions were made by people, not AI.
- The case adds to growing scrutiny of AI in workplace decision-making as companies rely more on automated tools for performance and workforce planning.
- The plaintiffs are from six states including California, New York, and the District of Columbia.
- The 26 anonymous plaintiffs accuse Meta of violating federal and state laws that ban discrimination based on disability, medical leave, or pregnancy.
- Meta had announced layoffs of 10% of its global workforce (nearly 8,000 people) starting May.
Twenty-six former employees of Meta Platforms have filed a lawsuit in Oakland, California, claiming the company used AI to unfairly target workers with disabilities and those on medical leave during mass layoffs.12
The lawsuit alleges that Meta's reliance on AI-assisted performance metrics, such as productivity levels and AI token usage, led to discriminatory layoff decisions.45
According to the complaint, these criteria disadvantaged employees who had taken approved medical leave, violating federal and state laws against discrimination.
"The evaluation process used during these workforce reductions disproportionately impacted employees who were unable to maintain the same productivity levels because of approved medical absences," the lawsuit states.89
Meta announced earlier this year plans to reduce its global workforce by about 10%, affecting nearly 8,000 employees, with layoffs beginning in May.7
A Meta spokesperson rejected the allegations, asserting, "Workforce management and organizational decisions were and are made by people, not AI."
This case highlights the growing scrutiny of AI in workplace decision-making, as companies increasingly rely on automated tools to assess employee performance.11
The plaintiffs, who filed the lawsuit anonymously, come from six states, including California and New York, and argue that the metrics used failed to account for legitimate medical leave, leading to biased outcomes during layoffs.12
“The 26 former employees, who filed anonymously in federal court, claim Meta's use of productivity and AI token usage metrics unfairly penalized workers on medical leave. Meta earlier announced a 10% workforce cut of nearly 8,000 jobs starting in May, and a spokesperson said the claims are without merit.”
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