Meta Allows Engineers to Opt Out of AI Training Task Force After Large Reassignment
Meta has issued a memo giving engineers assigned to its Applied AI task force the option to transfer to other units, following earlier mass reassignments and internal morale concerns.
Meta sent an internal memo on Wednesday indicating that engineers who were moved into an Applied AI task force to train the company's upcoming AI models can now choose to leave the unit. The company said staff members who opt out will receive preferential placement in other areas, citing ongoing staffing shortages.
The memo emphasized personal agency, stating, "> As I emphasized before, personal agency will remain at the heart of all opportunities at Meta: we will support employees in whatever decisions they make."
It added that while the company would prefer employees to stay, it respects individual choices. The announcement follows a broader internal discussion about morale, during which chief technology officer Andrew Bosworth described employee morale as among the lowest in the company's history. Meta declined to comment on the memo.
The move comes after Meta reassigned about 7,000 workers to AI-related units last month and after a recent round of layoffs that cut roughly 10% of its workforce.