HCM & HRIS

US court allows Meta layoffs amid AI bias claims

July 20, 2026
www.ETHRWorld.com
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  • Published On Jul 20, 2026 at 07:47 AM IST


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< />A US judge on Friday rejected a bid by 26 employees of Meta Platforms to block the tech giant from laying them off while they pursue claims that they were targeted for job cuts by the company’s AI-powered tools because they have disabilities or took medical leave. US district judge William Orrick in Oakland, California, in a written order said he would not stop Meta from carrying out the layoffs beginning July 22 while the merits of the workers’ novel legal claims are decided in private arbitration.<br><br><!– PROMOSLOT_M –><div class=” article-detail-ad-slot=”” captionrendered=”1″ data-src=”https://etimg.etb2bimg.com/photo/132504376.cms” height=”442″ loading=”eager” src=”https://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/images/default.jpg” width=”590″></img></p> </div> <p>The judge said the workers could not show that losing their jobs amounted to the “irreparable harm” required for him to issue an emergency order blocking the layoffs. A Meta spokesperson declined to comment. The company has denied wrongdoing and said that decisions involving the layoffs were made by humans.</p> <p>Lawyers for the plaintiffs in a joint statement said that while Orrick denied their request, he also recognized that the lawsuit raises “serious questions” about Meta’s conduct. “The Court expressly stated that it may reconsider its determinations ‘based on any additional evidence the parties provide regarding whether and how AI was used’ in the reduction in force,” they said.</p> <p>The lawsuit filed on Monday claims that in selecting jobs to cut, Meta relied on AI tools that measured productivity and AI token usage, and employees’ adoption of AI, disadvantaging people who missed work because of medical conditions or to care for family. </p> <div> <div> <ul> <li><a href=Reuters

  • Published On Jul 20, 2026 at 07:47 AM IST

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