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Meta accused of using AI to pick employees with medical conditions for layoffs
Los Angeles Times • • business
Key Points:
- Twenty-six Meta employees filed a lawsuit alleging the company used AI systems that unfairly targeted workers on medical or family leave for layoffs, violating federal and state protections.
- The lawsuit claims Meta’s AI incorporated performance rankings and metrics that penalized employees for taking legally protected leaves, leading to disproportionate layoffs of disabled or on-leave workers.
- Meta denied the allegations, stating that workforce decisions were made by people, not AI, and called the claims unfounded.
- The plaintiffs seek a court order to prevent further layoffs or changes to their compensation until an independent audit of Meta’s AI-assisted layoff process is conducted.
- This case reflects growing legal scrutiny of AI’s role in employment decisions amid a broader wave of tech industry layoffs, which have increased significantly in the first half of 2025.
