Meta’s New AI Unit Faces Employee Frustration and Low Morale
Meta employees express anger and dissatisfaction with the company's newly formed Applied AI unit, citing menial tasks and low morale, while internal meetings reveal growing tensions.
Earlier this week, during a livestreamed employee-only presentation at Meta, an individual interrupted with an expletive-laden outburst, telling the meeting leaders to write to a specific Meta AI executive and "tell him that he's a piece of shit." According to a witness, one of the presenters covered their face with their hands. The incident occurred on a call open to thousands of employees in Meta's Applied AI unit, which was formed in March to support AI research.
Three current employees, speaking anonymously, told WIRED there is widespread dissatisfaction within the unit of about 6,500 engineers and product managers. They claim they have been assigned drudgework, such as generating puzzles to test AI models, which they describe as menial and soul-crushing. One employee called it "the gulag," saying they have zero purpose and barely interact with anyone. Another said the tasks are easy compared to previous work, but "almost all" employees seem unhappy.
Tensions extend beyond Applied AI. Meta laid off about 8,000 employees last month as part of an AI-focused restructuring, generating extra work in divisions like data center engineering and Instagram. Over 1,600 employees signed a petition demanding Meta stop a new initiative that monitors US employees' clicks and keystrokes for AI training data; the company has slightly scaled back the program.
During an all-employee Instagram meeting, chief product officer Chris Cox described the environment as "difficult" and "brutal," comparing it to "running a marathon in the middle of a hailstorm." He said leaders need to "get in touch with the company again" and not be "overearnest" about AI, adding, "It is neither god, nor is it the devil."
In an internal memo seen by WIRED, CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that recent changes have caused distress. He said Meta has made mistakes and promised to provide more stability going forward. Zuckerberg noted that he does not plan additional mass layoffs this year, and announced plans to limit manager-to-employee ratios, increase team budgets, and hold a large hackathon. He also addressed Applied AI directly, calling it "critical" and a waypoint for talented people to contribute while other roles are created.
