May 25, 2026, 12:15 PM EDT. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly admitted in an internal meeting that the company's AI models are trained by observing its own employees, even as nearly 8,000 staff face layoffs. The April 23 announcement revealed a 10% workforce cut, with a month-long waiting period before affected employees were notified, described by staff as "28 days of hell." The layoffs also include the closure of 6,000 open positions. Zuckerberg defended using Meta's higher-skilled employees over contractors to accelerate AI development, highlighting the company's costly shift toward artificial intelligence. This revelation emerged from leaked audio during a tense period for the company, raising ethical concerns around employee treatment amid the AI push.
