Meta CTO says workers' morale is near record lows
What's the story
Meta's Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Andrew Bosworth has evealed that employee morale at the company is probably one of the worst it's ever been. The admission comes in light of mass layoffs and internal artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives that have left many long-serving employees unsettled. In May, Meta laid off some 8,000 employees and reassigned thousands more as part of a major restructuring effort focused on AI.
Morale assessment
Bosworth compares current situation to Cambridge Analytica scandal
During an internal "Tuesdays with Boz" chat earlier this month, Bosworth said that while the current morale isn't the worst it's ever been in his 20 years at Meta, it is still pretty bad. He even compared it to the Cambridge Analytica scandal when Facebook user data was used to target voters during the 2016 election.
Communication issues
Bosworth admits Meta has done an 'atrocious' job
In a memo, Bosworth admitted that Meta had done an "atrocious" job of communicating its vision and supporting employees during this transition. He said the company failed to provide a clear picture of how it would support them in their careers amid these changes. This admission highlights the uncertainty many employees have reportedly felt as Meta rapidly reshapes itself around AI technology.
Employee sentiment
AI overhaul leads to mass reassignments at Meta
The creation of the Applied AI division was one of the biggest changes in Meta's AI overhaul. As part of this restructuring, some 6,500 engineers and product managers were moved from different teams to work on AI projects. Some employees have even compared being "drafted" into this mandatory task force to conscription and viewed much of their work as data labeling.
Backlash
Employee backlash over AI initiative tracking mouse movements, keystrokes
In April, Meta faced employee backlash over an initiative to track mouse movements and keystrokes to improve its AI models. These changes have only added to the concerns of employees as Meta accelerates its push into artificial intelligence. Despite these challenges, Bosworth remains hopeful that with time, the company can rebuild morale and rekindle the best parts of its original culture.