Meta CTO says employee morale at near all-time low

Meta's chief technology officer, Andrew "Boz" Bosworth, has acknowledged internally that employee morale at the social media giant is near an all-time low, citing recent mass layoffs, mandatory reassignments to artificial intelligence work, and broader organizational changes. The admission was made during an internal "Tuesdays with Boz" chat on June 2 and in a follow-up memo to staff this week.

Bosworth described the current morale situation as being among the worst in his two decades at the company, comparing it to the internal fallout from the 2016 Cambridge Analytica data scandal. The low point follows a significant restructuring in May, during which Meta laid off approximately 8,000 employees, representing about 10 percent of its workforce. Additionally, at least 6,500 engineers and product managers were involuntarily reassigned to work on AI model training within the company's new Applied AI division.

Many of those reassigned have reportedly found the work to be menial and unfulfilling, with some comparing the mandatory transfer to being drafted. The company has also faced internal backlash over initiatives such as tracking U.S. employees' keystrokes and mouse movements to...