Lawsuit alleges Meta used AI to select layoff victims, including disabled and on-leave employees

A 26-person lawsuit in the Northern District of California claims Meta used internal AI systems—such as Metamate, 'second-brain' agents, keystroke monitoring, and AI-driven ranking—to score and select employees for layoffs, disproportionately affecting workers on protected medical or disability leaves. Meta says layoff decisions were made by people, not AI. The plaintiffs allege the tools did not neutralize inputs for protected leaves or accommodations and seek an injunction to preserve employment status, an independent audit of the selection process, and preservation of related data; the layoffs are set to begin July 22, and the suit is not a class action, with arbitration expected for plaintiffs.