Around 60 Meta contractors, employed by Accenture, discovered that they had been fired completely randomly by an algorithm. Height of cynicism, these arbitrary dismissals were announced by videoconference.
Despite the repeated scandals that have tarnished its reputation for several years, Meta continues to surprise. Recently, the American firm distinguished itself by relying on artificial intelligence to part with several dozen employees. About 60 Meta contractors, employed by Accenture, had the unpleasant surprise to discover that they had been fired completely randomly by an algorithm, revealed Business Insider. Based in Austin, they were in charge of content moderation and commercial integrity for the social media giant.
These layoffs, which are therefore not based on any human reasoning, were announced by videoconference, a means of communication used by many technology companies since the Covid-19 pandemic to make expeditious cuts in their workforce. A method that has been the subject of strong criticism because of the psychological violence it involves for those made redundant.
Learning that you lose your job via a simple Zoom call is already very violent. But getting fired “randomly” by an algorithm, as in the present case, it is unspeakably cruel. However, Meta does not have a monopoly on managerial brutality. Last year, an edifying investigation by Bloomberg revealed that Amazon was also relying on artificial intelligence to lay off delivery workers as part of the automation of human resources within the Amazon Flex program, inaugurated in 2015 to ensure deliveries within hours of its Prime Now service.
Zuckerberg wants higher performing employees
In the case of Meta, these arbitrary dismissals come in a delicate context for the company, which announced in late July a quarterly turnover down for the first time in its history. Faced with the slowdown in its growth, the American group has decided to slow down its rate of recruitment to reduce its costs. The Californian giant thus plans to recruit between 6,000 and 7,000 engineers in 2022, instead of the 10,000 hires initially planned.
At the start of the summer, an alarming internal memo was circulated within the company. The latter, signed by Chris Cox, product manager of Meta, aimed to prepare the group’s employees for a very bleak future and put pressure on them to increase their productivity. “By raising expectations, setting bigger goals, and ratcheting up the pressure a bit, I hope some of you decide this is not the place for you, and I agree with that. self-selection”, said in parallel Mark Zuckerberg. Vibe…