Meta employees clash with leadership over aggressive AI restructuring

As Meta aggressively pushes into artificial intelligence, it faces increasing opposition from within its own team.

According to WIRED, internal discontent has escalated following numerous AI-led restructurings, mass layoffs, and controversial policies. This tension surfaced publicly this week when an employee interrupted a livestream with a profanity-laden rant targeting Meta’s AI leadership. Employees say this outburst illustrates widespread dissatisfaction.

Over recent months, Meta has reorganized around AI, investing billions while restructuring divisions and laying off about 10% of staff—roughly 8,000 employees. A notable change is the creation of the “Applied AI” unit, which includes around 6,500 engineers and managers focused on improving AI models.

Workers describe their tasks as repetitive and disconnected from original roles, often involving coding challenges and test cases for training AI.

Morale is reportedly very low across divisions, with teams struggling amid shifting priorities and heavier workloads. Another contentious issue was Meta’s attempt to collect employee activity data for AI training. Over 1,600 staff signed a petition opposing a program that monitored clicks and keystrokes on company devices.

After backlash, Meta adjusted the program, letting workers pause data collection and request exemptions.

Leadership recognizes the internal unrest. During a recent meeting, Chief Product Officer Chris Cox called the environment “difficult” and “brutal,” comparing the company’s shift to running a marathon through hail.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged mistakes in the restructuring in an internal memo, vowing for greater stability.

Meta argues that its AI investments are crucial to its future success, aiming to create smarter social media and next-gen wearable tech. Still, ongoing internal conflicts highlight that successfully implementing AI requires more than technological advances; it needs worker trust, transparency, and a workforce eager to build the future.