Meta employees revolt against Zuckerberg's AI hackathon amid layoffs

Meta employees are pushing back hard against CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement of a “large” companywide AI hackathon next month. In internal messages obtained by WIRED, staff expressed frustration that the event—scheduled for July 14-16 and focused exclusively on AI innovation—comes on the heels of 8,000 layoffs that have left remaining workers stretched thin. One employee wrote, “I’m literally preoccupied with keeping the lights on for my team,” while another noted that previous hackathons offered a break from routine, but “this no longer feels like an option alongside pod sprints.” The backlash included sarcastic memes and hundreds of upvotes on comments questioning whether Meta still supports a hackathon culture when “people are being asked to cover more work with less support.”

Vice president Ime Archibong announced the hackathon, but employees quickly pointed out that participation won’t count toward performance reviews, making the extra work even less appealing. A software engineering veteran tried to encourage participation, but staff countered that “every org I know has super aggressive goals, with efficiency gains expected and significantly less staffing.” The hackathon is one of several initiatives Zuckerberg rolled out to reenergize the workforce—including bigger offsite budgets and ending hot desking—but the negative reaction underscores deep cultural rifts at the company. Meta declined to comment.