Meta drops AI usage from engineer performance reviews after "tokenmaxxing" backfires
Meta removed AI-tool usage from engineer performance reviews after 'tokenmaxxing' inflated metrics, with internal AI costs heading toward billions in 2026.
Executives Maher Saba and Santosh Janardhan said in an internal memo, seen by The Information, that AI dashboards and token counters will no longer factor into performance reviews; quality, speed, and complexity of work will count instead. The change follows 'tokenmaxxing,' where employees burned AI tokens in bulk to rank on internal leaderboards. Internal AI use is projected to cost billions in 2026, prompting Meta to introduce budgets and a central dashboard starting in 2027. Separately, Meta is testing its AI agent tool Hatch for autonomous computer tasks, though some employees resist linking it to personal accounts over privacy concerns.
- Meta executives confirmed the review-policy change in an internal memo reported by The Information.
- Employees gamed 'tokenmaxxing' metrics by burning AI tokens to top internal leaderboards.
- Internal AI spending is nearing billions in 2026; budgets and a central dashboard arrive in 2027.
- Meta is testing its Hatch AI agent for autonomous computer tasks amid internal privacy pushback.
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Meta will no longer judge its engineers by how much they use AI tools. AI dashboards and token counters won't factor into performance reviews anymore, executives Maher Saba and Santosh Janardhan said in an internal memo seen by The Information. What counts now is the quality, speed, and complexity of the work.
Meta had previously made AI use a review criterion, which led to what people started calling "tokenmaxxing." Employees burned through AI tokens in bulk just to look good on internal leaderboards. The excessive use came with a price tag. Internal AI use alone is heading toward billions in costs in 2026, which is why Meta plans to roll out budgets and a central dashboard starting in 2027.
At the same time, Meta is testing its new AI agent tool Hatch, which is meant to handle computer tasks on its own, according to WIRED. But the tests are running into pushback inside the company. Some employees are reluctant to connect it to their personal accounts over privacy concerns.
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