Meta accused of using biased AI targeting for mass layoffs

# Meta accused of using biased AI targeting for mass layoffs Source: [https://www.theverge.com/tech/965486/meta-lawsuit-former-employees-ai-layoffs](https://www.theverge.com/tech/965486/meta-lawsuit-former-employees-ai-layoffs) More than two dozen former employees claim Meta used AI to rank workers’ performance, but failed to exclude people on medical leave\. More than two dozen former employees claim Meta used AI to rank workers’ performance, but failed to exclude people on medical leave\. by Jul 14, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC   Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge [](https://www.theverge.com/authors/emma-roth) Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more\. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO\. A group of 26 former Meta employees is suing the company over claims that it used AI tools to unfairly target workers on leave with layoffs, as[reported earlier by*Reuters*](https://www.reuters.com/world/meta-used-ai-target-workers-with-medical-conditions-layoffs-former-employees-2026-07-14/)\. In[the lawsuit](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28475884-former-employees-v-meta/#document/p1), the employees allege Meta determined which workers to dismiss based on performance data collected by a “constellation” of internal AI tools, but failed to exclude those on parental or medical leave from its ranking system: > 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 layoffs mentioned in the lawsuit occurred in May as part of Meta’s plans to slash[10 percent of its staff](https://www.theverge.com/tech/917690/meta-is-laying-off-10-percent-of-its-staff), or around 8,000 workers\. Meta’s former employees allege the company used an internal AI assistant,[called Metamate](https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-ai-assistant-helps-employees-performance-reviews-2025-11), employee\-trained AI agents, internal dashboards displaying AI token usage, and other tools to “score, rank, and select employees for inclusion on the termination list\.” The lawsuit accuses Meta of violating federal and state laws preventing employers from terminating workers for taking protected leave\. “These claims lack merit and are not based on facts,” Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton tells*The Verge*\. “Workforce management and organizational decisions were and are made by people, not AI\.” **Follow topics and authors**from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates\. - Emma Roth ## The Verge Daily A free daily digest of the news that matters most\.