Meta is restructuring its workforce and emphasizing artificial intelligence. Following reports of laying off approximately 600 employees in its AI division, the company is now promoting the use of its internal AI chatbot, Metamate, for drafting performance reviews by the remaining staff.
Business Insider reported that Meta is now instructing managers to evaluate employees using AI software. Metamate, similar to tools like ChatGPT, can analyze internal documents to summarize projects, achievements, and feedback to aid employees during performance reviews. This chatbot is part of Meta’s growing suite of internal AI systems and aims to simplify the process of writing self-assessments and peer reviews, which are typically time-consuming corporate tasks.
During the TechEquity AI Summit in Sunnyvale, California, Joseph Spisak, product director at Meta’s Superintelligence Labs, shared his positive experience using Metamate. Spisak described the tool’s ability to search through his documents, summarize his yearly accomplishments, and provide valuable feedback as “great.” He highlighted how the chatbot serves as a personal work historian, swiftly compiling detailed records that would otherwise take employees hours to gather.
Although Meta has not mandated the use of Metamate for reviews, its adoption varies among teams. While some employees heavily rely on it for self-evaluations, others see it primarily as a tool for reviewing colleagues. An employee at Meta mentioned that while the chatbot helps in constructing feedback frameworks, it sometimes struggles without detailed project context, requiring employees to refine and adjust the output.
Meta’s shift towards utilizing AI-assisted software for employee reviews coincides with recent layoffs within its artificial intelligence division. The company let go of 600 employees as part of an efficiency drive to reduce organizational layers and accelerate operations. The job cuts affected staff in AI infrastructure, the Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) team, and other product-focused groups, with newer hires in Meta’s Superintelligence Labs being largely unaffected. Those impacted will receive severance pay based on their tenure.
In an internal memo, Meta’s Chief AI Officer, Alexandr Wang, described the layoffs as a strategic move to create a more agile and efficient organization, eliminate bureaucratic processes, and empower remaining employees to have a broader impact.