Should tech workers supercharged by AI be able to take more time off? Meta’s chief technology officer, Andrew Bosworth, said he doesn’t think so.
That’s what Bosworth told employees at a Q&A in early July, according to three people on the call.
A Meta employee asked Bosworth if AI productivity gains could be channeled into more vacation time — specifically, the revival of “Meta Days,” a since-canceled holiday program that allowed staff to take a few extra days off.
In response, Bosworth said that while working at Meta isn’t easy, that time should be used to build more products for its users — since Meta staff are “doing the most exciting stuff on the planet.”
“I hope that what we do with our extra time is do even more and cooler stuff for the users who use our products every day,” Bosworth said. “We got billions of people using our products every day. I get an extra hour. You know what I do with it? I put it into that.”
He told the employee who asked the question that while he was not trying to give them a hard time, “stop asking about Meta Days. It’s very dumb.”
“Go to your parents and ask them: Hey, like every time I get a chance to talk to my boss, ask me if I can have more days off. Ask your parents what they think of that as a career strategy,” Bosworth said.
Bosworth added that he was sorry for coming down “too hard” on the employee without meaning to, and he felt the question was “tongue-in-cheek.”
Meta declined to provide a statement on Bosworth’s comments.
The company provides four working weeks off a year, plus public holidays, according to a person familiar with the matter. It replaced Meta Days with two extra “choice days,” allowing staff to use those whenever they wish.
Bosworth’s comments come at a time of broader debate about the impact of AI on productivity and working conditions in tech. AI has encouraged some workplaces — such as Amazon’s — to embrace a more intense work environment where fewer employees can get more done.
Similarly, some predict that the productivity will be channeled into more work. In 2023, Morgan Stanley predicted that generative AI would boost income and help millions of workers take on second and third jobs.
Others have said that AI will give people more free time to spend with their families. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said he expects AI to make it easier for households to transition back to a single earner.
Have a tip? Contact Charles via email at [email protected] or on Signal and WhatsApp at 628-282-2811. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here’s our guide to sharing information securely.
Read the full article here
