Meta Asks Former Managers to Return to Leadership Roles

Meta has reportedly begun asking some individual contributors within its Applied AI (AAI) division to return to managerial roles, a move that appears to contradict the company's broader strategy of reducing management layers. This development was reported by Business Insider, citing four individuals with knowledge of the situation. Meta itself declined to provide a comment on the matter. The AAI division was established in March with the stated goal of supporting Meta's superintelligence initiatives. At its inception, Meta indicated that the division would feature a "flat" organizational structure, with each manager overseeing up to 50 individual contributors. Notably, some of the employees now being considered for management positions had previously held supervisory roles before transitioning to individual contributor status within the AAI unit. This apparent reversal is significant given Meta's prominent association with the corporate trend of streamlining operations and reducing bureaucracy, often referred to as the "Great Flattening." Throughout 2023, Meta actively pursued a policy of eliminating management tiers, advocating that "flatter is faster." This efficiency drive also saw managers targeted during the company's workforce reductions of 10% earlier this year, as analyzed by Business Insider. The trend of increasing spans of control for managers is not unique to Meta; it reflects a broader economic shift. According to Gallup, the average number of direct reports per manager has risen from 10.9 in 2024 to 12.1 in 2025, representing an increase of nearly 50% since 2013. This broader trend is exemplified by recent actions at other major technology firms. For instance, Uber announced last week a 10% workforce reduction, impacting approximately 3,300 employees. The ride-sharing company also stated its intention to reduce the number of employees situated seven or more layers from the CEO by 20%. Uber articulated that these measures were designed to foster a "simpler and faster" organization by "removing layers, simplifying team structures, refining our global location strategy, and focusing our people and investments." The AAI division has experienced other personnel adjustments beyond these potential management reassignments. Previously, Meta permitted some employees who were assigned to the division to depart, following reports of employees feeling "drafted" into the unit against their will.