Meta CTO Calls Company’s AI Reorg ‘Atrocious’

Meta’s chief technology officer, Andrew Bosworth, described the company’s rollout of a new artificial intelligence division as “atrocious” during an internal post on Monday, seen by WIRED. He acknowledged that the reorganization has damaged employee trust and vowed to “rekindle” a more positive workplace culture through enhanced communication, clearer career pathways, and even upgraded office snacks.

The remarks come on the heels of a WIRED report last week that exposed deep dissatisfaction inside Meta’s Applied AI engineering unit, a division formed in March with roughly 6,500 engineers and product managers focused on advancing the company’s generative AI models. Employees described the work as menial, with one likening the environment to “a gulag.” Bosworth admitted the company mishandled the transition, writing that leadership “undermined the trust you have that your specific expertise and contribution will be valued.” He added that the restructuring left teams unstable, with rapid strategy shifts and a boom-bust hiring cycle creating chaos.

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The discontent within the AI team reflects a broader morale decline across Meta, driven by mass layoffs, employee surveillance, and other concerns. In recent days, several executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, have posted internal messages acknowledging the frustration and pledging reforms.

Bosworth, a longtime Zuckerberg ally, outlined several changes in a lengthy memo. He said Meta will cap managers at roughly 20 direct reports each and limit how often employees are reassigned during restructurings. Leadership will also better explain the reasoning behind strategic and organizational shifts, he wrote. Managers will prioritize people management over independent work, and employees will have access to AI coaching tools if they choose.

Responding directly to feedback about the Applied AI team, Bosworth wrote, “We obviously did an atrocious job explaining the vision, giving people a clear picture of how we would support them and their careers in the shift, and painting a picture of how it would change over time.”

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In a separate post from late Friday, also seen by WIRED, Maher Saba, vice president leading the Applied AI team, told employees who were forced into the unit that they could now apply for other roles within Meta. “Moving forward, we are returning to business as usual and giving people the agency to apply to roles that interest them,” Saba wrote.

Bosworth stressed that Meta does not believe AI will fully replace human workers, but he cautioned, “We should heed the saying, ‘AI won’t take your job but someone who knows AI might.’” He acknowledged there would be “tough trade-offs for a while” regarding compute resources allocated to different teams, and promised transparency and responsible investment to ease bottlenecks. He encouraged employees to escalate any issues.

To boost morale, Bosworth pledged to make Meta a “fun and enjoyable” workplace. The company will improve microkitchens break areas stocked with snacks and drinks, increase travel budgets, and boost spending on social events to encourage in-person connection.