If you're investing in automation or AI to save time, decide in advance what you'll do with the hours freed up. That decision should be yours, not pressure's. A business that uses saved time to deepen what truly drives growth – not just produce more output – gains a real advantage over those who only add workload.
Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s CTO, told employees in an internal meeting that every minute saved by AI tools is meant for building additional products, not for vacation days or long weekends. When an employee asked whether increased productivity could bring back Meta Days – holiday time granted during COVID – Bosworth responded sharply: “Stop asking for Meta Days, it’s really stupid.”
What actually happened
Bosworth explained that any time saved by new tools should be immediately dedicated to work: “I hope what we do with our extra time is make even cooler things for the people who use our products every day.” He told the employee who raised the question: “Go to your parents and ask them… what they think about that as a career strategy.” Later Bosworth apologised for the harsh tone but did not retract the management message. The atmosphere at Meta this year includes cutting roughly 10% of headcount with 8,000 layoffs, installing tracking software on laptops, and cutting costs, while investing up to $135 billion in AI infrastructure.
Why it matters beyond the headline
Bosworth’s response represents a widespread approach in tech: AI tools are not meant to free employees from workload, but to increase output in the same working hours. This is not unique to Meta. Many companies see automation as an opportunity to extract more from the same number of people, not to improve work-life balance. For small and medium businesses, this is a critical decision point: does the time freed by automation go toward expanding scope of activity, or toward deepening strategy, service, and what truly differentiates the business. This choice affects burnout, quality, and the ability to sustain competitive advantage over time.
What to do about it this week
If you’re already using automation or considering investing in it, set a clear policy in advance: what will you do with the time freed up. Will you add clients, improve existing processes, develop a new product, or invest in people. This decision should be conscious and planned, not reactive. A business that invests saved time in deepening – understanding customers, improving service, building stable infrastructure – gains more long-term than one that only adds more tasks to the list. If you’re not sure how to plan this, start with your first automation in two weeks and see in practice where the time actually goes.
- Meta CTO: AI saves time? Work more — geektime.co.il
Frequently asked
Not necessarily. Automation frees time, but what happens with it depends on you. If you're an employee, management may expect you to do more in the same time. If you're a business owner, you can decide whether to expand activity or improve quality.
Start by identifying a repetitive task that takes time and that you can describe clearly. If you find one, that's a good sign automation can help. Don't invest just because everyone is investing – plan in advance what you'll do with the time you save.
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