The company is now allowing some of them to return to their previous roles.
Meta has softened its controversial decision to reassign thousands of engineers to its artificial intelligence initiatives, allowing some employees to return to their previous roles after widespread internal criticism. The move marks a notable shift in the company’s workforce strategy as it accelerates its AI ambitions while attempting to address declining employee morale.
According to an internal memo obtained by Business Insider, Meta will now allow engineers who were reassigned to its Applied AI task force to decide whether they want to remain in their new positions or return to their previous teams.
The reversal follows weeks of employee dissatisfaction over mandatory transfers that many viewed as disruptive to their careers and professional interests.
Meta Reverses Mandatory AI Reassignments
Last month, Meta reassigned approximately 7,000 employees to AI-focused teams, including its Applied AI task force, as the company intensified efforts to develop next-generation artificial intelligence models.
The initiative formed part of Meta’s broader strategy to compete aggressively with companies such as OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
However, many employees described the reassignment process as compulsory rather than voluntary. Internally, some engineers referred to themselves as being “drafted” into AI teams, drawing comparisons to mandatory workforce deployment rather than career progression.
Following internal feedback, Meta has now changed its approach.
In a company-wide memo sent to affected employees, management emphasized that participation would no longer be mandatory.
“Personal agency will remain at the heart of all opportunities at Meta. We will support employees in whatever decisions they make.”
The memo added that while Meta would prefer employees to continue contributing to state-of-the-art AI development, the company would ultimately respect individual choices.
Engineers Can Return to Previous Teams
The revised policy allows engineers assigned to the Applied AI task force to request placement back into their former organizations or pursue other opportunities within Meta.
The memo also stated that employees leaving the AI task force would receive preferential placement elsewhere in the company because several teams continue to face staffing shortages.
This represents a significant departure from the original rollout, which offered employees little flexibility after reassignment.
For many engineers, the policy change restores greater control over career planning and technical specialization.
Why Employees Objected
Although artificial intelligence has become Meta’s highest strategic priority, not every engineer welcomed the reassignment.
According to employees familiar with the discussions, some believed the work involved repetitive AI model training tasks that resembled data labeling rather than advanced engineering.
Several employees expressed concerns that the assignments did not align with their expertise or long-term career goals.
Internal discussions on the anonymous workplace platform Blind reflected growing frustration, with some employees referring to the policy reversal as an “underdraft” after previously feeling compelled to join the initiative.
The episode highlights the challenges technology companies face when rapidly redirecting engineering talent toward AI development.
AI Has Become Meta’s Biggest Priority
Meta has invested heavily in artificial intelligence over the past two years.
The company has launched successive generations of its Llama large language models, expanded AI features across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, and committed tens of billions of dollars toward AI infrastructure, specialized chips, and data centres.
Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly described AI as Meta’s highest long-term strategic priority.
The company’s internal restructuring reflects that focus, with engineering resources increasingly directed toward model training, generative AI products, recommendation systems, and AI-powered developer tools.
The reassignment of thousands of engineers was intended to accelerate these initiatives.
Employee Morale Has Become a Growing Concern
The policy reversal comes shortly after Meta executives publicly acknowledged growing concerns about employee morale.
During an internal company meeting earlier this month, Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth reportedly told employees that morale was “probably one of the worst it’s ever been” during Meta’s 20-year history.
The comments followed a series of difficult organizational changes.
In May 2026, Meta reduced its global workforce by approximately 10 percent, affecting around 8,000 employees.
Combined with organizational restructuring, shifting priorities, and intense pressure around AI development, these changes have contributed to uncertainty across the company.
Allowing engineers greater autonomy over their assignments appears aimed at rebuilding trust while maintaining momentum in AI development.
Balancing AI Growth with Employee Choice
Meta’s decision illustrates the increasingly complex challenge facing major technology companies.
Artificial intelligence has become the industry’s defining competitive battleground, requiring companies to rapidly expand engineering resources and accelerate product development.
At the same time, highly skilled engineers increasingly expect flexibility, autonomy, and opportunities aligned with their expertise.
By giving employees the option to remain in AI roles or return to previous teams, Meta appears to be seeking a balance between business priorities and workforce engagement.
Whether the revised approach improves morale while sustaining the company’s AI ambitions will likely become clearer as Meta continues investing aggressively in next-generation artificial intelligence technologies.
For now, the policy change signals that even the world’s largest technology companies may need to adapt internal strategies when employee feedback challenges the pace of organizational transformation.
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Source: BI
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Bloomberg/Getty Images
