26 Ex-Meta Employees Sue Over AI Tools Allegedly Biased Against Workers on Leave

A group of 26 former Meta employees has filed a lawsuit against the company alleging it used AI-driven tools to unfairly select workers for layoffs. The plaintiffs claim Meta relied on a network of internal AI systems to score and rank employee performance before determining who to let go. Critically, the lawsuit alleges the ranking system failed to exclude employees on parental or medical leave, effectively penalizing them for taking legally protected time off. As a result, workers on protected leave were reportedly dismissed at a disproportionately higher rate than their peers. The case was first reported by Reuters and raises broader questions about the use of automated tools in high-stakes employment decisions.