'Tell Him He's a Piece of Shit': Meta's New AI Unit Is a Total Mess
WIRED reports deep dysfunction inside Meta's new Applied AI team, a roughly 6,500-person unit formed in March to support AI researchers at Meta Superintelligence Labs. Employees describe the assigned work as menial and 'soul-crushing,' with some calling the unit a 'gulag' and themselves 'draftees.' The discontent is part of broader unrest at Meta after roughly 8,000 layoffs, prompting CEO Mark Zuckerberg to acknowledge mistakes and promise more stability.
Key Takeaways
- Meta's Applied AI team, formed in March, has about 6,500 engineers and product managers and supports researchers at Meta Superintelligence Labs.
- Three current employees describe the work as menial and soul-crushing, with one calling the unit 'literally the gulag.'
- Engineers selected for the unit had to join or leave the company, leading some to call themselves 'draftees.'
- Last month's layoffs cut 10 percent of the company, or 8,000 employees, adding stress across divisions including data center engineering and Instagram.
- More than 1,600 employees signed a petition against a program monitoring US employees' clicks and keystrokes to generate AI training data.
- Zuckerberg vowed no additional mass layoffs this year, promised assigned desks again by year-end, and said he would limit employees per manager.
Stats & Key Facts
- #Applied AI has about 6,500 engineers and product managers.
- #Layoffs cut 10 percent of the company, or 8,000 employees, last month.
- #More than 1,600 employees signed the keystroke-monitoring petition.
- #Some Applied AI teams had a manager ratio that ballooned to 50 to one.
- #The data collection pause employees can request lasts up to 30 minutes.
- #Instagram serves around 2 billion users.
A Tense All-Hands Moment
Frustration spilled into a large company call.
- ›On a call open to thousands of employees, one presenter covered their face with their hands, according to a witness.
- ›Employees commented on the stream about the 'spicy' start before the two meeting leaders asked everyone to mute and moved on.
- ›The moment reflected growing frustration inside the Applied AI team.
What Applied AI Does
The unit was built to feed Meta's AI research.
- ›Applied AI was formed in March to support AI researchers at Meta Superintelligence Labs.
- ›The unit has about 6,500 engineers and product managers.
- ›Some workers are asked to finish two tasks per week, such as generating complex software coding problems to train and evaluate frontier models.
Some of the work is meant to help develop AI agents that generate software or other outputs. One employee described tasks like generating puzzles to test how reliably AI models solve them as easy compared with their prior software development work, but said the projects feel menial.
How Employees Describe the Work
Workers report low morale and a loss of purpose.
- ›One employee said, 'It's literally the gulag,' describing zero purpose and little interaction.
- ›A third employee said most people find the work soul-crushing.
- ›One worker called the assignment 'mechanical and not creative' and not using their full skill set.
Workers say they were hired to develop social media apps for billions of people but now find themselves assembling data for hundreds of AI scientists to feed to computer chips. Engineers selected for the unit had no choice but to join or leave the company, an unusual requirement that led some to call themselves 'draftees.'
Broader Unrest at Meta
The discontent extends beyond one team.
- ›The AI-focused restructuring included letting go 10 percent of the company, or 8,000 employees, last month.
- ›The cuts generated extra work and stress in divisions including data center engineering and Instagram.
- ›More than 1,600 employees signed a petition demanding Meta stop a program that monitors US employees' clicks and keystrokes to generate AI training data.
The company scaled the program back slightly, allowing employees to pause data collection for up to 30 minutes and request specific exemptions.
Leadership's Response in Meetings
Executives acknowledged a harsh environment.
- ›Chief product officer Chris Cox addressed the 'difficult' and 'brutal' environment at an Instagram meeting this week.
- ›Cox praised Instagram employees for shipping features and serving around 2 billion users.
- ›He urged leaders to 'get in touch with the company again' and not be overearnest about AI, saying it is neither god nor the devil.
Zuckerberg's Memo and Promises
The CEO acknowledged distress and outlined changes.
- ›In a Friday memo, Zuckerberg said the changes caused distress and admitted, 'we've made mistakes and will almost certainly make more.'
- ›He vowed no additional mass layoffs this year and promised assigned desks again in many locations by year-end.
- ›He said he would limit employees per manager, after some Applied AI teams reached a 50-to-one ratio, and increase budgets for team events.
Zuckerberg framed Applied AI as a waypoint rather than a destination, writing that the work lets talented people contribute while Meta creates other roles for them over the coming months. He said automating work was not Meta's primary focus and that the company's 'north star is to be the best place for the most talented people in the world to make an impact.'
Meta's Broader AI Push
Applied AI sits among several costly bets Zuckerberg has made.
- ›Meta released pioneering open-weight AI models three years ago but has had mixed results with later releases.
- ›Applied AI is among several expensive initiatives Zuckerberg started to help Meta compete in the growing market for AI services.
- ›The unit has grown in batches since early April, with new waves of reassigned engineers arriving over time.
Zuckerberg described the products Meta wants to build as ranging from more personalized Instagram and Facebook experiences and glasses that help throughout the day to better tools for small businesses and personal superintelligence agents that work on a user's behalf. An early member of Applied AI said it is 'crazy to watch people experience the shock of it as each wave comes in,' underscoring how the rapid, forced expansion has shaped morale.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Meta's Applied AI team?
Formed in March, it is a unit of about 6,500 engineers and product managers that supports AI researchers at Meta Superintelligence Labs.
Why are employees unhappy with it?
Workers describe the assigned tasks as menial, mechanical, and soul-crushing, and many were required to join the unit or leave the company.
How big were the recent layoffs?
Meta let go 10 percent of the company, or 8,000 employees, last month, adding stress across several divisions.
What is the keystroke-monitoring petition about?
More than 1,600 employees signed a petition demanding Meta stop monitoring US employees' clicks and keystrokes to generate AI training data.
How did Zuckerberg respond?
He acknowledged mistakes, vowed no more mass layoffs this year, promised assigned desks by year-end, and said he would limit employees per manager.
Meta's push to compete in AI has left thousands of reassigned workers demoralized, forcing leadership to admit mistakes and promise more stability.
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