Twenty-six current and former Meta employees are suing the company in federal court, alleging that AI-assisted systems, including productivity scoring, AI token usage tracking, and performance ranking algorithms, played a central role in deciding who got laid off. The lawsuit, filed in July 2026 in Oakland, California, claims these systems disproportionately targeted workers on medical, parental, or family leave. The layoffs occurred in May 2026, when roughly 8,000 employees, about 10% of the company’s total headcount, were notified of job elimination, with a scheduled termination date of July 22, 2026. US District Judge William Orrick denied the plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order, noting they “were not in the rooms where it happened.” The complaint names the AI tool “Metamate,” a large language model assistant, and alleges violations of bias-testing requirements under California state law and New York City regulations. A hearing on a preliminary injunction is scheduled for August 24, 2026.