A group of 26 Meta employees has filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging that artificial intelligence (AI) systems were used to select individuals for termination. According to the plaintiffs, this process disproportionately affected workers who were on medical, parental, or family leave.
These employees are part of a group of 8,000 people, or about 10% of all staff, whom Meta planned to lay off in May. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Oakland, California, late Monday. The document claims that the company utilized internal AI systems, keystroke and activity monitoring data, AI token usage dashboards, and algorithmically supported performance ratings to determine the list of those being laid off.
The plaintiffs assert that many of these evaluations and ratings 'cannot be accumulated by an employee who is on protected medical or family leave, or whose results are diminished due to disability.' The lawsuit also points out that Meta failed to account for periods of protected leave when calculating employee ratings and 'did not suspend the system for an individualized, leave-neutral and adaptive review, as required by law.'
As a result, individuals on protected medical or family leave were selected for layoff in greater numbers. Each of the 26 anonymous employees involved in the suit was on protected leave and had requested or received reasonable accommodation for a disability. Despite receiving layoff notices, all 26 individuals remain employed at Meta, with the start of termination procedures scheduled for July 22.
A significant portion of the employees mentioned in the lawsuit were on maternity or parental leave, during which they were not working and thus their measured workload was reduced. Others were on medical leave; one reported a 'serious health condition and disability' approved by Meta's own provider. However, according to the lawsuit, a manager 'discouraged and intimidated' him from taking such leave, warning that it would lead to his inclusion in the potential layoff list. Furthermore, Meta did not provide any accommodations for his disability.
In its statement, Meta claimed that the allegations 'are baseless and unfounded. Workforce and organizational decisions are made by people, not AI.'
Approximately half of the plaintiffs were on leave for childcare or pregnancy-related reasons. Among them were eight women who took maternity leave; four men who took parental leave; and one woman who took family care leave, followed by bereavement leave. The lawsuit alleges that the layoffs violated several federal and state laws, including the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
The complaint also mentions the concept of 'disparate impact liability'—an older civil rights concept that the Trump administration attempted to eliminate. Disparate impact, enshrined in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, states that formally neutral policies or practices can be discriminatory if they disproportionately burden a protected group of workers and are not necessary to perform the job.
The Trump administration directed federal agencies to lower the priority of enforcing disparate impact liability, arguing that its use undermines 'meritocracy' and encourages the assumption that any racial or gender imbalance in the workforce is the result of discrimination. This order led the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to drop discrimination cases on behalf of some workers.
Nevertheless, the lawsuit against Meta emphasizes that companies remain vulnerable to disparate impact litigation in the age of AI, despite the Trump administration's efforts to curtail its enforcement. Workers can still file such lawsuits themselves if the EEOC rejects their complaints, and several state laws explicitly prohibit disparate impact discrimination.
In the case against Meta, the plaintiffs' lawyers argued that the company's 'algorithmically supported selection process, systematically recording absences such as reduced productivity, affects women more than men.' This is because women disproportionately take maternity and childcare leave, according to the lawyers' view. The lawsuit cites the prohibition of Title VII against employment practices with disparate impact, as well as a landmark 1971 Supreme Court ruling that recognized this doctrine.
The plaintiffs' lawyers stated that the goal of the lawsuit is singular—to maintain the status quo to preserve workers' employment until arbitration. This is necessary because 'once these layoffs become final, the damage will be irreversible: loss of employer-subsidized medical insurance during pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and active treatment; forfeiture of limited leave rights; loss of unvested equity; and immigration consequences.'
The commercial success of the title Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced did not prevent a crisis at Ubisoft, leading employees at the Barcelona studio to initiate a three-day strike. The stoppage aims to protest the proposal to lay off 51 employees, which was presented as part of the company's global corporate restructuring.
The Barcelona studio was involved in the development of the remake Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, which reached the milestone of 2 million copies sold on its first day, as disclosed by Ubisoft itself. The strike was called by the Spanish union Coordinadora Sindical del Videojuego (CSVI) and is taking place while the company formalizes negotiations regarding the restructuring of the Barcelona unit.
The union argues that the layoffs were implemented even after years of team dedication and despite the strong sales performance of the new Assassin’s Creed. CSVI stated in a press release that the company uses a so-called 'strategic change' to justify the cuts, resulting in job losses after long periods of dedicated work.
Manel Cota, a technical and gameplay animator at Ubisoft Barcelona, shared on social media that the local team was entirely responsible for developing all the underwater sequences in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. He lamented that the same group that worked on these parts of the game is now subject to layoffs, alleging that Ubisoft considers them worthy of such treatment.
During the strike period, workers demand that Ubisoft revise the restructuring plan. Key demands include the cancellation of the 51 positions to be eliminated, assurance that there will be no future large-scale layoffs, the reinstatement of the old remote work policy, which allowed up to 60% of the workday from home, in addition to promotions and salary increases that, according to employees, had been previously promised.
In response to the start of the strike, Ubisoft expressed respect for the employees' right to protest. The company explains that the restructuring is part of a worldwide plan focused on cost reduction and directing resources to projects deemed strategic. If the proposal is accepted, Ubisoft Barcelona will focus exclusively on projects related to the Rainbow Six franchise. However, the company emphasized that the process is still in the collective consultation phase and that no final decision has been made.
Potential layoffs in Barcelona had already been signaled at the beginning of June, when information circulated about Ubisoft's intention to close the studios in Winnipeg and Belgrade, in addition to reorganizing its operations in Spain. At that time, it was estimated that approximately 380 positions could be impacted by changes across various units of the company. The recent announcement of dismissals, just a few days after the launch of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, reignited the debate about the constant restructuring faced by the gaming industry, even with commercially successful titles.
The State Labor Inspectorate under the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction of Uzbekistan has recommended that employers change the organization of labor for employees working outdoors due to abnormally hot weather.
The agency noted that high air temperatures significantly increase the probability of heatstroke, sunstroke, dehydration, and cardiovascular complications. The Inspectorate emphasized that ensuring safe working conditions is a direct responsibility of the employer.
Employers are advised, if possible, to reduce the volume of work outdoors or temporarily suspend it between 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM. It is also suggested to avoid heavy physical exertion during this time. Furthermore, the Inspectorate insists that workers be provided with a sufficient amount of drinking water, shaded or cool resting places be organized, and regular breaks be ensured.
The Inspectorate also recommends not allowing employees who have not undergone medical examination to work. For personnel performing outdoor duties, breathable clothing and headwear protecting against solar radiation must be provided. Special attention should be paid to conducting briefings on the signs of heatstroke and the procedure for first aid in case of health deterioration.
Previously, Uzhydromet warned that from July 13, 2026, to July 17, 2026, an extremely hot air mass from the south will enter the territory of Uzbekistan. According to forecasts, daytime temperatures may reach plus 41–43 degrees Celsius, and up to plus 44–46 degrees Celsius in northern, southern, and desert regions.
Against the backdrop of abnormal heat, temporary restrictions have already been introduced in several regions. Truck traffic is restricted in the regions of Surkhandarya and Kashkadarya, while in the regions of Khorezm and Navoi, as well as in Karakalpakstan, the operation of some kindergartens has been temporarily suspended. Starting from July 15, 2026, the speed of trains on elevated sections of the Tashkent metro has been reduced from 60 to 40 km/h.
