WSJ Tech News Briefing · Wednesday, July 15, 2026
A group of current and former Meta employees are suing the company, alleging that its use of AI during recent layoffs resulted in discrimination against workers with disabilities or those on protected leave. This federal lawsuit is among the first in the U.S. to examine AI's role in termination decisions. Meta has denied the allegations, asserting that human decision-making, not AI, determined workforce management.
“And a group of Meta employees is suing the social media company over how it carried out layoffs this spring, alleging that it used AI that disproportionately cut workers with disabilities or on protected leave.”
“The federal lawsuit was filed this week in the Northern District of California. It's one of the first in the US to scrutinize the potential role of AI in determining layoffs.”
“Meta began laying off 8,000 employees, or roughly 10% of its workforce, in May. A company spokesman rejected the allegations and said workforce management decisions were made by people, not AI.”