Dozens of Meta employees have sued the social media company, alleging that its artificial intelligence tools targeted workers for mass layoffs, triggering severe "immigration consequences" for those affected. This lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in California, exposes how corporate surveillance and algorithmic control can directly undermine the precarious status of workers, particularly those whose residency is tied to employment.
AI as a Tool of Exclusion
The lawsuit, brought by 26 workers, claims Meta's "constellation of internal artificial intelligence systems" identified employees for termination. These systems allegedly incorporated AI performance ratings and data from keystroke and activity monitoring. The 71-page complaint asserts that Meta did not rely on "the considered judgment of managers who knew the work" to assemble the termination list. Instead, AI systems were used "to score, rank and select employees for inclusion on the list."
The plaintiffs allege that these AI tools disproportionately selected workers who had requested protected or maternity leave or disability accommodation. One scientist, on approved pre-birth pregnancy leave, received her layoff notification just two days before giving birth. Another plaintiff, an engineer, reported a "lowered rating" because of time off for an injury. A manager on medical leave was let go 16 days into his time off. The complaint argues that the AI systems' inputs, such as performance rankings and productivity metrics, do not exist for workers on leave or are reduced for those with disabilities. This effectively penalized employees for exercising their legal rights.
The Precarity of Labour and Migration
Lawyers for the plaintiffs highlighted the severe impact of these terminations, stating that "immigration consequences" would be triggered once the separations are final. This underscores the vulnerability of workers whose residency status is tied to their employment, a parallel to the broader criminalisation of movement that defines Fortress Europe. Other irreversible harms cited include the loss of "employer-subsidized health coverage during pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and active medical treatment," the extinguishment of "time-bound leave rights," and the forfeiture of "unvested equity."
Meta's workforce reduction earlier this year saw approximately 8,000 employees laid off. The company's AI employee-monitoring program, introduced earlier this year, was designed to capture keystrokes, mouse activity, browser history, messages, emails, and location data on company devices. Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, stated the program's purpose was to train AI systems on employee behaviors, claiming "The AI models learn from watching really smart people do things." The lawsuit alleges Meta launched this monitoring program quietly, without employee buy-in, through a "low-visibility internal post" and, on some teams, without any consent or opt-out option. Employee backlash, including a petition signed by over 1,600 employees, led Zuckerberg to pause the program in June, one month ago.
Resistance Against Corporate Control
The plaintiffs are seeking a preliminary court ruling to halt the finalization of the layoffs and are pursuing relief including reinstatement, back pay, lost equity, benefits, and other damages. Lawyers for the plaintiffs requested an immediate independent audit into Meta’s AI tools to clarify why the 26 workers on leave or with disability accommodations were selected. They stated Meta "deliberately kept the mechanics of its selection process secret from its employees." The plaintiffs remain Meta employees until July 22, in 7 days, when their termination is scheduled to begin. Citing retaliation concerns, attorneys are asking the judge to allow the plaintiffs to remain anonymous and to issue a court order preserving their employment status during arbitration. A Meta spokesperson disputed the allegations, claiming, "These claims lack merit and are not based on facts," and that "Workforce management and organizational decisions were and are made by people, not AI." This statement stands in stark contrast to Zuckerberg's earlier comments about AI learning from employees.