Meta sued by employees claiming AI used to target layoffs

Meta is facing a lawsuit filed by 26 US employees who claim the company utilized artificial intelligence systems to identify individuals for recent layoffs, allegedly targeting those on protected leave. The lawsuit, lodged in a California federal court, asserts that Meta employed internal AI, keystroke monitoring, and algorithmically assisted performance rankings to determine redundancies. The plaintiffs argue that these systems, by design, could not accurately assess employees on medical, parental, or family leave, leading to a disproportionate selection of these workers for dismissal. According to the suit, Meta failed to account for protected leave when calculating employee scores and did not conduct the legally required individualized review. This, the lawsuit contends, resulted in individuals on leave being unfairly targeted. All 26 plaintiffs had taken protected leave and, in some cases, received accommodations for disabilities, yet they were notified of layoffs set to begin July 22. Many of the employees involved had taken leave for caregiving or pregnancy-related reasons. The suit details instances of employees taking maternity or parental leave, or medical leave for serious health conditions. One plaintiff reportedly faced discouragement from taking approved leave due to warnings that it would lead to selection for layoffs, with Meta allegedly offering no accommodation for his disability. Meta has refuted the claims, stating in a released statement that the allegations "lack merit and are not based on facts." The company insists that "workforce management and organizational decisions were and are made by people, not AI." The lawsuit alleges violations of several federal and state laws, including the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, citing a "disparate impact" on employees utilizing their legal rights to take leave.

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by design, cannot be accumulated by an employee who is on protected medical or family leave, or whose output is reduced by a disability