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The original was posted on /r/antiwork by /u/Smooth-Stand4695 on 2026-07-18 02:44:46+00:00.

A group of 26 current and former Meta employees sued the company Monday in California federal court, alleging Meta used an AI system to help select workers for its May 20 mass layoff, and that the system disproportionately targeted employees who had taken or requested protected leave. The complaint says Meta relied on internal AI tools like “Metamate,” activity monitoring data, and algorithmic performance scoring instead of manager judgment, and because those scores were based on output metrics, employees who’d been on leave simply had fewer data points and got flagged for termination as a result.

The plaintiffs, based across six states, all share one thing: each took, requested, or was approved for protected leave in the past 24 months. Their claims include violations of the FMLA, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, and the ADA, and because Meta requires arbitration agreements, they’re pursuing claims individually while asking the court to block their terminations in the meantime.

The suit also cites a company monitoring program that tracked keystrokes, screen activity, messages, and even location data on work devices, data the plaintiffs say fed directly into Meta’s AI tools, often with little notice or ability to opt out. Meta has pushed back hard, with a spokesperson stating “these claims lack merit and are not based on facts,” insisting workforce decisions were made by people, not AI.