Bernie Sanders

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., criticized Meta and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, after the company on Wednesday announced layoffs affecting roughly 10% of its global workforce as part of a new round of organizational changes centered on artificial intelligence initiatives.

In a memo obtained by Business Insider, Janelle Gale, Meta's head of human resources, told employees that "many leaders will announce org changes" in coordination with the layoffs. Gale said the company plans to move 7,000 employees to new initiatives related to AI workflows while also eliminating managerial roles.

"Today, Meta is firing thousands of workers to replace them with AI," Sanders wrote in a post on X. "If Mark Zuckerberg is willing to lay off 10% of his own employees, what do you think his AI will do to the average American worker?"

Meta has said the layoffs are part of a restructuring effort tied to AI development and organizational efficiency, though the company has not explicitly said workers are being directly replaced by AI systems.

In a separate post on X, Sanders provided a link for affected employees to share their stories.

"As the Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, I want to hear from workers whose jobs are being impacted by artificial intelligence and robotics," he wrote.