Soul-crushing: Meta employees raise concerns over AI restructuring and morale

Meta’s aggressive push into artificial intelligence is facing growing resistance from employees, with concerns emerging over role changes, work assignments and morale following the company’s recent restructuring, according to a WIRED report citing current staff and recordings of internal meetings.

Tensions surfaced publicly during an employee-only presentation earlier this week when a participant interrupted a livestreamed meeting with a profanity-filled outburst aimed at company leadership and a senior Meta AI executive. The meeting, which was attended by thousands of employees, continued after presenters asked participants to mute their microphones.

Much of the dissatisfaction appears to be concentrated within Meta’s Applied AI organisation, a unit established in March to support research efforts under Meta Superintelligence Labs. The team reportedly includes around 6,500 engineers and product managers.

One employee quoted by WIRED reportedly described the work as “soul-crushing,” while another employee compared the experience to a “gulag.”

Employees cited in the report said many workers were unhappy with the assignments they received after being moved into the organisation. Several staff members reportedly felt the work differed significantly from their previous software development responsibilities and offered limited professional fulfilment.

According to employees quoted by WIRED, some team members have been assigned tasks such as creating puzzles, coding challenges and evaluation tests intended to assess how effectively AI systems solve problems. Some workers reportedly described the assignments as repetitive and disconnected from their earlier roles.

The report also said that many employees were transferred into the unit as part of Meta’s wider AI reorganisation. Some workers reportedly referred to themselves as “draftees” and claimed they had little choice but to accept the new assignments.

The concerns extend beyond the Applied AI team. Employees from other parts of the company, including Instagram and data centre engineering teams, reportedly said the broader AI-focused restructuring has increased pressure and workloads across the organisation.

Meta recently reduced its workforce by around 10%, affecting roughly 8,000 employees, according to the report. Staff members cited by WIRED said the layoffs and organisational changes have weighed on morale across multiple teams.

Another point of contention has been an internal initiative designed to collect employee clicks and keystrokes for AI training purposes. More than 1,600 employees reportedly signed a petition opposing the programme. Following the backlash, Meta adjusted the initiative, allowing workers to temporarily pause data collection and seek exemptions.

Company leaders have acknowledged the challenges created by the transition. During an Instagram all-hands meeting, Meta Chief Product Officer Chris Cox reportedly described recent months as difficult and praised employees for continuing to launch products and support users amid the changes.

Separately, Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged in an internal memo that recent decisions had caused distress among employees. According to the report, he said the company had made mistakes during the transition and intended to address them, while reiterating that Meta aims to be a place where talented employees can make a significant impact.

First Published on June 13, 2026, 17:29:01 IST