‘Tell Him He’s a Piece of Shit’: Meta’s New AI Unit Is a Total Mess

By Decode Today News

An extraordinary scene unfolded during a recent internal, livestreamed presentation at Meta, as an employee unleashed an expletive-filled tirade, demanding that an executive in the company's new artificial intelligence unit be told, “he's a piece of shit.” The outburst, heard during a call open to thousands of employees, laid bare a deep well of frustration brewing within the tech giant, specifically targeting the newly formed Applied AI unit, and reflecting a wider crisis of morale across the company. The incident serves as a stark illustration of the human cost and internal turmoil that can accompany ambitious, rapid technological shifts in the competitive landscape of AI development. The dramatic interruption, during which one of the presenters covered their face, according to a witness, highlighted significant discontent among the 6,500 engineers and product managers assigned to Meta's Applied AI (AAI) team. Formed in March, AAI's stated purpose is to support the cutting-edge work of AI researchers at Meta Superintelligence Labs. However, the reality for many employees within the unit appears to be a far cry from pioneering AI breakthroughs.

The 'Gulag' of Artificial Intelligence Development

Several current employees, speaking anonymously to WIRED due to not being authorized to comment publicly, described their experience within the AAI unit in grim terms. “It's literally the gulag,” one employee claimed, painting a picture of profound disillusionment. “You have zero purpose in life all of a sudden, you barely interact with anyone, you just have these tasks every week.” This sentiment of purposelessness and isolation is a recurring theme, with another employee describing the work as "soul-crushing" and "menial," despite acknowledging that some tasks were technically easier than their previous software development roles. The tasks assigned often involve generating puzzles or creating complex software coding problems to rigorously test and improve the reliability of Meta's AI models, as well as those from other companies. While critical for AI development, these assignments are seen by many as mechanical, uncreative, and a gross underutilization of their advanced skill sets. Engineers who once developed social media applications for billions of users now find themselves assembling data for hundreds of AI scientists to feed into computer chips. The perceived downgrade in meaningful work has led to widespread unhappiness within the unit, with one worker describing the assignments as "not using their full skill set and knowledge." Adding to the frustration is the unique and unusual requirement for engineers selected for AAI: they have no choice but to join the unit or leave the company entirely. This forced assignment is highly uncommon for highly valued technical employees in Silicon Valley, leading some members of Applied AI to refer to themselves as “draftees.” The unit has grown in successive waves since early April, and early members describe watching new cohorts experience the "shock" of their new reality. Moreover, an internal memo from CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that the manager-to-employee ratio on some AAI teams had deliberately ballooned to an extraordinary 50 to one, creating an environment ripe for disengagement and a lack of individual focus.

A Company-Wide Morale Challenge

The tensions within Applied AI are not isolated but rather indicative of a broader crisis in employee morale gripping Meta. Workers across the company describe feeling the strain of "record-low morale" following significant restructuring and layoffs. Last month, Meta's AI-focused reorganization resulted in 8,000 employees, or 10 percent of the company, being let go. This massive workforce reduction has piled extra work and stress onto remaining employees in various divisions, including data center engineering and Instagram. Further compounding employee anxiety is a recently launched initiative to monitor US employees’ clicks and keystrokes for AI training data. Over 1,600 employees signed a petition demanding a halt to the program, prompting Meta to scale it back slightly, allowing employees to pause data collection for up to 30 minutes and request specific exemptions. This surveillance initiative, even in its modified form, has added another layer of distrust and discomfort within the workforce.

Leadership Acknowledges the 'Insanity'

Meta’s leadership has not been entirely oblivious to the internal strife. During an all-hands meeting at Instagram, Meta chief product officer Chris Cox candidly addressed the "difficult" and "brutal" environment created by the "insanity of this company" in recent months. According to a recording heard by WIRED, Cox applauded Instagram employees for launching features and serving nearly 2 billion users amid circumstances he likened to “running a marathon in the middle of a hailstorm and then, like, your teammate gets replaced and then we’re recording you.” He then paused, adding, “It’s like what the fuck,” before repeating the phrase, drawing laughs from the audience, highlighting the shared sense of bewilderment. Cox emphasized the need for leaders to "get in touch with the company again" and avoid being "overearnest" about the power of AI. He offered a more grounded perspective on the technology, stating, “It is neither god, nor is it the devil... And it’s nowhere near as good as you think it is, and it is nowhere near as bad as you think it is. And it changes every week … and it doesn’t know what day of the week it is.” His remarks suggest a recognition of the hype surrounding artificial intelligence and the importance of managing expectations, both externally and internally. In an internal memo, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also acknowledged the distress caused by recent organizational changes. "Given the complexity of these changes, we’ve made mistakes and will almost certainly make more," he wrote, signaling a rare admission of missteps from the top. Zuckerberg reiterated a commitment to no further mass layoffs this year, a promise aimed at providing stability. He also outlined several measures to improve employee experience, including a plan to limit the number of employees per manager, increase budgets for team events, schedule a large hackathon, and reintroduce assigned desks by year-end in many locations. Zuckerberg specifically addressed the situation in Applied AI, referring to it as a "waypoint, not a destination." He wrote that "Work like AAI is critical to advancing our models and it lets very talented people contribute to those efforts while we create other roles they can contribute to around Meta over the coming months as well." This suggests that the current "drudgework" is a temporary necessity for these "draftees" before they might transition to more fulfilling roles within the company's broader AI initiatives.

The Human Cost of Meta's AI Ambitions

Meta's internal turmoil comes as the company continues to pour significant resources into artificial intelligence, viewing it as a critical frontier for future growth. The company released pioneering open-weight AI models three years ago and has embarked on several expensive initiatives under Zuckerberg's leadership to compete in the burgeoning AI services market. Zuckerberg noted in his memo that Meta's primary focus is not merely "automating work," but rather building "much more personalized Instagram and Facebook experiences and glasses that help you throughout the day to better tools for small businesses to thrive and create jobs, and personal superintelligence agents that understand your goals and work 24/7 on your behalf." The company's "north star," Zuckerberg declared, is to be "the best place for the most talented people in the world to make an impact." However, the current reality for many within the Applied AI unit and across Meta suggests a disconnect between this ambitious vision and the lived experience of its workforce. The outburst during the internal presentation, and the widespread discontent it represents, underscore the immense challenge of retaining top talent and fostering innovation when employees feel marginalized, uninspired, and subject to what they perceive as demeaning work.

The Bigger Picture for Meta's AI Future

The unrest within Meta's AI division presents a significant challenge for the company's future. While building advanced artificial intelligence models requires immense data processing and validation, alienating the very engineers tasked with these foundational efforts could jeopardize Meta's long-term AI strategy. The ability to attract and retain the world's "most talented people" hinges not just on competitive compensation, but on providing meaningful work, a supportive culture, and a clear path for professional growth. As Meta pushes forward with its ambitious AI agenda, it must also grapple with the human element of this technological revolution. The internal strife serves as a crucial reminder that even in the pursuit of groundbreaking AI, corporate leadership must actively manage employee morale, clearly communicate purpose, and ensure that the workforce feels valued and engaged. Failure to address these deep-seated frustrations could see Meta struggle to achieve its grand vision, even with its substantial resources and pioneering research. The path forward for Meta in the AI race will depend as much on its technological advancements as it will on its ability to rebuild trust and purpose among its invaluable human capital.

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‘Tell Him He’s a Piece of Shit’: Meta’s New AI Unit Is a Total Mess