Meta has begun laying off thousands of employees as the tech giant ramps up investments in artificial intelligence. Singapore was reportedly the first market affected, with workers receiving emails around 4 AM SGT on May 20 informing them that their services were no longer required. The layoffs come amid growing focus on AI-driven expansion at the company. At the same time, a leaked audio clip allegedly featuring Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg surfaced online. The recording, reportedly from an internal all-hands meeting before the job cuts, suggests Meta has been monitoring employee computer activity to train AI systems. Meta has not officially confirmed the authenticity of the recording. However, the audio has added to employee fears about AI replacing workers and companies collecting more data from their staff.
In the leaked audio clip, Zuckerberg has allegedly been saying that Meta wants AI models to learn by observing how highly skilled employees use computers during real work tasks. Not only this, but he also added that the Meta employees are more valuable for AI training than outside contract workers because they are ‘really smart people’ whose actions can help improve advanced AI systems.
Earlier reports also suggested that Meta is using software that tracks the user activity on their office device. The software is said to track mouse movements, clicks and typing patterns. Zuckerberg can also be heard clarifying that the collected content is ‘stripped out’ and not used for employee surveillance or performance reviews.
Meta has reportedly laid off nearly 8,000 employees worldwide as part of a larger restructuring plan focused heavily on AI development. Teams across engineering and product divisions have been affected, while many workers are being shifted to new AI-focused projects.
The recording suggests that Meta may have shared only limited information inside the company because it did not want competitors to learn too much about its AI plans. Zuckerberg is said to have admitted that communication about the tracking system was not handled well, but he also said keeping some details secret was important for business reasons.
The clip has since spread widely online and has become a sign of growing concern among tech workers. As companies put more money into AI, many employees are starting to worry that the same technology they are helping build today could one day take their jobs.