Soundtrack to 8,000 Job Cuts: A Meta Worker’s Layoff-Themed AI Songs

If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to be fired from a giant tech company like Meta, now you can hear it in song. And the chorus goes like this:

Meta layoffs, Meta layoffs

Say it as a joke

Meta layoffs, Meta layoffs

The house of cards has collapsed

Those were the lyrics to an AI-generated song one Meta employee created shortly before the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp laid off 8,000 employees — 10 percent of its workforce — on Wednesday as it transforms into an AI-first firm.

When the ax fell, some employees exchanged grim messages among themselves. Others responded on internal forums with salad emojis, their way of saying “hello” to each other. And for at least one employee, the answer was music.

The worker used Meta’s own AI tools to create an internal radio station that plays AI-generated songs about job cuts, according to internal posts and recordings of the songs obtained by The New York Times, as well as interviews with about a dozen employees. The employee announced the station, called “520 FM” — the May 20 posting for layoffs — in an internal post using language that mimicked the institutional voice of Meta’s human resources department.

“We realize that many of you are feeling heightened anxiety,” wrote the worker, whom other employees declined to name for fear of retaliation. “To support you in this transition, we’ve launched a native AI initiative: Meta 520 FM – an in-house 24/7 radio station featuring original curated anthems and genres to support your diverse preferences.”

According to the post, the radio station plays AI-generated songs in the styles of hip-hop, country, rock and even metal.

“Meta Layoff,” which had a praiseworthy chorus mixed with wit, cut and released, laid down an easy-to-listen guitar lick with a toe-snapping rhythm set to the R&B crooner’s voice.

The next track was a Lo-Fi acoustic guitar song called “Missing the People” with references to missing “faces” and “night jokes” of office colleagues.

“Big Beautiful Layoff”, a song in the “Rap” section, begins more openly:

“HR Zoom call

Screen frozen on a smile.”

Meta declined to comment, but some employees were more vocal. They said the radio station was a welcome distraction and added that the creator seemed to really support them.

“Stay strong. Stay tuned. Focus on what you can control,” the employee’s internal post said.

Audio production by Patricia Sulbarán.