Meta is no longer forcing engineers into its Applied AI task force after significant employee backlash. The company previously reassigned thousands to AI units, which employees likened to data labeling. This policy reversal follows recent mass layoffs and adds to internal tensions.
Meta's CTO Andrew Bosworth admitted the company mishandled the rollout of its new Applied AI division, causing chaos and undermining trust. He pledged to improve culture, communication, and career growth, while also addressing employee concerns about AI job displacement and new keystroke-tracking software.
Meta's Applied AI unit, key to Mark Zuckerberg's $14.3 billion AI bet, faces revolt among its 6,500 engineers, who describe work as 'soul-crushing' amid 8,000 layoffs, surveillance backlash, and poor leadership, threatening the company's AI ambitions.
Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth shut down any hopes of opting out of the company's new AI tracking tool, telling employees directly that there's no choice in the matter. The Model Capability Initiative logs keystrokes, mouse movements, and screenshots on work computers to train Meta's AI agents—all while the company prepares to cut 8,000 jobs. Employees are calling it dystopian. Meta is calling it necessary.
Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth says he experiences stress only four to five times a year, with over-scheduling as the main trigger. During an Instagram ask-me-anything session, he explained treating stress as a useful signal to reprioritise and focus on important work. Bosworth shared coping mechanisms including deep breathing, exercise, and family time. He also advised students looking to enter tech to stop waiting and start building.
