26 employees allege Meta used automated systems to penalize workers on protected leave during mass layoffs earlier this year.
Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) is being sued by 26 employees who claim the company used AI tools and automated workplace metrics to select workers for layoffs, disproportionately affecting those on protected leave. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Oakland, alleges Meta relied on AI-assisted performance rankings and activity tracking data to evaluate employees during workforce reductions involving about 8,000 workers.
The plaintiffs argue that Meta’s automated systems failed to account for periods when employees were on approved medical, parental, or family leave, penalizing them for reduced productivity data. The complaint highlights the use of performance scores, productivity metrics, and internal AI adoption measurements to rank employees for termination, rather than relying on managerial assessments.
The case centers on layoffs earlier this year, with workers on disability, maternity, or other protected leave alleging they were unfairly targeted due to gaps in data available to Meta’s evaluation systems.