Earlier this week, a private, employee-only presentation at Meta was unexpectedly disrupted by a voice expressing frustration with the company's culture, as reported by WIRED. The individual vocally condemned the organization, labeling themselves as “the company’s bitch” and urged attendees to communicate directly with a particular Meta AI executive, using harsh language to describe him.
Witnesses noted that one of the presenters appeared visibly distressed, covering their face with their hands upon hearing the outburst. Although the speaker could not be contacted for further details, the meeting's leaders quickly refocused, asking participants to mute their mics and continuing with their technical discussion, amid employee comments about the dramatic opening.
This disruption highlights a rising tide of discontent within Meta’s Applied AI team, which was established in March to bolster the endeavors of AI researchers at Meta Superintelligence Labs. Three current employees shared their frustrations with WIRED, noting widespread dissatisfaction with the way the team of around 6,500 engineers and product managers was formed, as well as the repetitive and mundane tasks they feel have been assigned to them in the pursuit of enhancing AI models. Due to company policies, they requested anonymity when discussing these issues.
One employee compared their situation to a “gulag,” expressing feelings of aimlessness and a lack of meaningful interaction, reduced to completing weekly tasks. Another highlighted some of the assignments, which involve creating puzzles to assess the performance of AI models from both Meta and rival companies. While these tasks might seem simpler than their previous software development roles, they come off as trivial, and the general sentiment among staff is one of unhappiness. “Most people find the work soul-crushing,” remarked a third employee, echoing the concerns of their colleagues.
