Anyone familiar with Meta—whether as an employee or an observer—knows the company has long struggled with morale. That struggle has only deepened as Meta pours billions into artificial intelligence while simultaneously executing relentless layoffs that have accelerated into 2026. Now, a new report in Wired reveals that the company's Applied AI unit—a team created just three months ago—is close to revolt.
An Explosive Start
The tension boiled over this week during a livestreamed, employee-only presentation. Someone hijacked the event with an expletive-laden rant, demanding that attendees tell a senior Meta AI executive he was “a piece of sh_t.” According to the report, one presenter covered their face with their hands in shock.
That outburst, Wired reports, is a symptom of deep-seated anger within the three-month-old unit, which consists of roughly 6,500 engineers and product managers. These employees were drafted—often against their will—to support Meta's AI research ambitions.
No Choice: Join or Quit
Employees describe being forced into the group with no real option: join or quit. Many refer to themselves as “draftees.” Their daily tasks? Generating puzzles and coding problems to train AI models. “It’s literally the gulag,” one employee told Wired. “Most people find the work soul-crushing,” said another.
Broader Unrest Across Meta
The discontent isn't limited to the Applied AI team. More than 1,600 Meta employees across the company have signed a petition protesting a program that monitors their clicks and keystrokes for AI training data. Even Meta's chief product officer, Chris Cox, acknowledged the toxic atmosphere, calling the current environment “brutal” during an internal call this week.
Leadership and Structure Under Fire
The Applied AI unit is led by Maher Saba, a former vice president in Meta's Reality Labs division. The team reports to Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth. Originally, the unit was structured so that up to 50 employees reported to a single manager—a ratio that employees say exacerbated burnout and lack of support.
Zuckerberg's Response
CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly addressed the situation in an internal memo on Friday. He acknowledged that recent changes had “caused distress” and admitted the company had made mistakes it plans to fix. According to Wired, he added that “Meta’s north star is to be the best place for the most talented people in the world to make an impact.”
TechCrunch has reached out to Meta for comment but has not yet received a response.
via TechCrunch AI