Meta is ushering in the era of the K-shaped company

A new class divide is emerging inside Big Tech – between those at the very top of the AI hierarchy and everyone else.

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The divide between the AI elite and other staff at Meta is damaging staff morale, says the writer

The divide between the AI elite and other staff at Meta is damaging staff morale, says the writer.

PHOTO : REUTERS

Beth Kowitt

Silicon Valley has long considered itself an egalitarian utopia – a place where rebelling against hierarchy is encouraged and good ideas are supposed to bubble to the top, regardless of who has them. The reality has always been more complicated.

For years, a massive shadow army of contractors and temporary employees has fuelled not only the growth of some of the sector’s biggest enterprises but also a two-tiered workforce. Staff employees get cushy pay and benefits, while contractors go without perks, job security and status.

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