SAN FRANCISCO — Former Meta employees sued the social media giant for allegedly using artificial intelligence to target workers with disabilities as part of mass layoffs.
The suit filed this week in federal court in Oakland said the company’s 8,000 layoffs disproportionately affected workers who missed work due to medical conditions or providing care for family members.
Twenty-six plaintiffs who were laid off by Meta in California and five other states filed the suit, whose claims Meta rejected.
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“These claims lack merit and are not based on facts. Workforce management and organizational decisions were and are made by people, not AI,” said spokesperson Tracy Clayton.
The lawsuit cited AI tools including “Metamate,” which the complaint said tracked workers’ documents and correspondence. The company created a productivity score by tracking keystrokes, screen usage and internet history, according to the complaint.
Separately, more details on the company’s May layoffs have emerged. According to a New York state filing, 1,160 workers will be laid off in Manhattan.
The owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp is spending billions on AI expansion efforts like data centers. Its May layoffs, which affected around 10% of its workforce, also included 3,196 layoffs in the Bay Area and 1,395 in the Seattle area, according to state notices.
The plaintiffs come from six states, including California and New York, and the District of Columbia.
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