Meta faces lawsuit alleging AI tools biased layoffs against workers on leave

A group of 26 current and former Meta employees has filed a federal lawsuit alleging the company used artificial intelligence systems to conduct layoffs that disproportionately targeted workers with disabilities, those on medical leave, and pregnant employees. The lawsuit, filed on July 13, 2026, in U.S. District Court in Oakland, California, represents one of the first major legal challenges to the alleged use of AI in workforce reductions.

The plaintiffs, who filed anonymously, claim Meta relied on a suite of internal AI tools to score, rank, and select employees for termination during a round of layoffs announced earlier this year. According to the 71-page complaint, these systems included "Metamate," a large language model assistant described as an employee-trained "second brain," along with productivity metrics drawn from monitoring keystrokes, screen content, emails, and browser history. The suit alleges the AI also tracked employees' usage of AI tokens.

The central allegation is that these systems evaluated employees based on productivity and output metrics without accounting for legally protected absences. The plaintiffs argue this effectively penalized workers for...