Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Technology Officer Andrew “Boz” Bosworth told employees in an internal meeting that staff morale is near one of the worst levels in the company’s 20-year history, as the social media giant grapples with recent layoffs and a major push into artificial intelligence.
Bosworth made the remarks during a June 2 “Tuesdays with Boz” chat, according to multiple people on the call who spoke with Business Insider. He described current morale as “maybe not the worst it’s ever been in 20 years here, but it’s probably up there. It’s definitely up there,” comparing the atmosphere to the period following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
The comments come weeks after Meta laid off approximately 8,000 employees — about 10% of its global workforce — in May 2026 to help fund heavy investments in AI. The company also reassigned thousands of workers to new AI-related tasks, a move that has contributed to widespread dissatisfaction.
In a follow-up internal memo sent Monday, Bosworth acknowledged that leadership “did an atrocious job explaining the vision” around the Applied AI reorganization, as reported by Wired. He pledged greater transparency, a cap on the manager’s span of control at about 20 direct reports, and increased budgets for office perks, including snacks, travel, and events, to improve the workplace experience.
The unrest reflects pressures at Meta as it redirects resources toward generative AI while maintaining its core advertising business. Employees have pushed back against mandatory AI training assignments — some describing the work as menial data labeling — and against initiatives such as tracking mouse movements and keystrokes to train AI models, Business Insider reports.
Bosworth’s memo also addressed career development concerns, promising employees more agency to apply for other roles within the company after the initial AI reassignments.
Job Satisfaction Hits Record High, But Engagement and Tenure Lag
National data show mixed trends in overall U.S. worker sentiment.
The Conference Board reported in June 2026 that overall U.S. job satisfaction reached a record high of 68.9% in 2026, up slightly from 68.3% the prior year and marking 16 consecutive years of gains since a low of 42.6% in 2010.
Despite the headline figure, Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2026 report found that only 20% of employees worldwide were engaged in 2025, the lowest level since 2020.
In Gallup’s terminology, employee engagement refers to employees’ involvement and enthusiasm in their work and workplace. According to the report, engaged workers are highly committed “psychological owners” who drive performance and innovation, while the majority who are “not engaged” put in the minimum effort without passion, and “actively disengaged” employees can undermine others.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data shows median employee tenure with current employers stood at 3.9 years in January 2024, down from 4.1 years in January 2022 and among the lower readings in recent decades.
Public-sector workers had a longer median tenure at 6.2 years, compared with 3.5 years in the private sector. (BLS conducts this survey every two years in January, so the next update is not expected until late 2026.)
Meta’s response of increasing snack budgets and events echoes common corporate efforts to address morale through low-cost perks, though the company is also promising structural changes such as improved communication and career path clarity.
Bosworth emphasized in his memo the need to “rekindle the best of the culture we joined” while acknowledging that some periods will require sacrifice as the company competes in AI.
The developments at Meta continue to unfold as the company invests billions in AI infrastructure. Officials have not ruled out further adjustments to its workforce strategy.
