A U.S. judge denied an emergency request from 26 Meta employees to block their layoffs, which are part of a larger 8,000-person workforce reduction. The employees' novel lawsuit alleges Meta's AI-powered tools discriminated against them for having disabilities or taking medical leave. The judge ruled they did not show "irreparable harm," and the case will now proceed to private arbitration.
Emergency injunction denial
- ▪U.S. District Judge William Orrick ruled that the workers failed to show the "irreparable harm" required for an emergency order
- ▪The judge's decision allows Meta to proceed with the layoffs, which are scheduled to begin on July 22
- ▪A U.S. judge rejected a bid by 26 Meta Platforms employees to block their layoffs while they pursue a discrimination lawsuit
- ▪A separate motion for a longer-lasting preliminary injunction is pending, with a ruling expected in the next month
AI-powered layoff selection
- ▪Meta has denied wrongdoing, stating that humans made the final decisions regarding the layoffs
- ▪The lawsuit alleges Meta used AI-powered tools that measured productivity and AI token usage to select employees for termination
- ▪One system allegedly created a productivity score by scanning employees' keystrokes, screen content, emails, and browser history
- ▪The lawsuit claims Meta used internal AI systems like "Metamate" and a "second brain" to score and rank employees for termination
- ▪The case is reportedly the first against a major U.S. company challenging the use of AI in conducting layoffs
Arbitration agreement dispute
- ▪The plaintiffs argue their request for temporary relief is exempt from the company's mandatory arbitration agreement
- ▪Meta's employment agreements require workplace disputes to be handled through individual arbitration rather than class-action lawsuits
- ▪The merits of the employees' legal claims against Meta will be decided in private arbitration
Meta workforce reduction
- ▪Affected employees lost access to Meta's systems on May 20 and have not worked since, though they remain on the payroll
- ▪In May, Meta notified nearly 8,000 employees, or about 10% of its global workforce, that their jobs were being eliminated
- ▪The 26 plaintiffs include engineers, managers, researchers, and designers who were notified of their layoffs in May
Disability discrimination claims
- ▪The lawsuit alleges Meta's AI systems were not paused during legally protected leave, causing employees' AI adoption scores to drop
- ▪Meta's lawyer countered that employees were only losing employer-subsidized insurance, which is a damage that can be recouped if they win in arbitration
- ▪A lawyer for the plaintiffs argued that losing their jobs would imperil medical care for pregnancies and other conditions
- ▪The 26 employees claim they were targeted for job cuts because they have disabilities or took medical leave
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