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Tag: Layoffs

  • TikTok Layoffs 2025: Hundreds of UK Jobs Cut Amid Global Restructuring and AI Shift

    The Wall Street Journal report, which cited internal sources, claims that TikTok has started a new round of layoffs that would impact workers in the UK as the company works towards artificial intelligence to automate content filtering.

     The activities of TikTok in South and Southeast Asia will also be impacted by this worldwide restructure. Hundreds of individuals are anticipated to lose their jobs, according to reports, even though the corporation has not revealed the precise number of roles that will be removed.

    Why TikTok Is Laying Off Employees

    In response to the layoffs, TikTok emphasised that the action is not merely a cost-cutting measure but rather a component of a larger strategic realignment. The company wants to streamline overlapping functions and concentrate more on e-commerce integration, AI-driven content discovery, and improving tools for creator monetisation.

    “We are continuing a reorganisation that we started last year to strengthen our global operating model for trust and safety,” a spokeswoman told the Wall Street Journal.

    Severance Packages and Employee Reactions

    Although the work environment is described as “tense but not panicked”, affected employees will receive severance payments and transition support. As the business navigates uncertain waters, many teams are preparing for potential future changes, the report continued.

    The layoffs occur as regulatory scrutiny increases, particularly in the US, where TikTok may be subject to forced divestitures or bans because of national security concerns. The urge to compete is increasing as competitors like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels increase their investments in artist ecosystems.

    In order to preserve agility and concentration, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is also simplifying operations across its portfolio by reducing experimental initiatives and combining teams.

    TikTok’s AI-Driven Strategy and Content Moderation

    In an effort to automate content assessment and reduce moderators’ exposure to upsetting content, TikTok has been increasing its investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and other moderation technologies.

    The corporation claims that automatic algorithms now identify and remove more than 85% of content that was previously removed for breaking rules. Conversely, competing social media networks are turning away from stringent content control.

    Meta Platforms said earlier this year that it would remove speech limitations and stop fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram, adopting X’s strategy after Elon Musk loosened moderation guidelines after acquiring the platform in 2022.

    Quick
    Shots

    •Company shifting towards AI-driven
    content filtering and moderation.

    •Operations in South and Southeast
    Asia also affected by restructuring.

    •Layoffs part of strategic shift
    toward e-commerce, AI content discovery, and creator monetisation.

    •Affected employees to receive
    severance packages and transition aid.

  • Porsche to Cut Majority of Jobs at Battery Division, Says Union

    In the most recent setback to Europe’s attempts to gain market share in the electric vehicle industry, a union spokeswoman told AFP on 21 August that Porsche’s battery manufacturing company would lay off the majority of its employees. According to IG Metall spokesman Kai Lamparter, the Cellforce Group subsidiary would lay off about 200 of its 286 employees.

    Union Confirms Layoffs Amid Market Struggles

    Official notification has been sent to the authorities, Lamparter added. He went on to say that it is reasonable to believe that notices will be sent out on August 25. A Porsche spokesman declined to comment on claims of layoffs, and Cellforce did not reply to AFP’s request for comment. Typically the most costly component of an electric vehicle, batteries have emerged as a major point of contention for automakers and the larger automotive industry.

    China’s Dominance in EV Batteries

    However, Chinese battery giants like CATL and BYD have made it difficult for European companies to establish themselves, which has raised concerns about the long-term viability of the continent’s auto industry.

    European Battery Industry Under Pressure

    Typically the most costly component of an electric vehicle, batteries have emerged as a major point of contention for automakers and the larger automotive industry. However, Chinese battery giants like CATL and BYD have made it difficult for European companies to establish themselves, which has raised concerns about the long-term viability of the continent’s auto industry.

    Northvolt Bankruptcy & Porsche’s Scrapped Expansion

    The most well-known battery manufacturer in Europe, Northvolt of Sweden, declared bankruptcy in March. US competitor Lyten is currently purchasing the majority of its assets. In April, Porsche announced it will scrap plans to increase battery production at Cellforce, citing lower-than-expected demand for EVs.

     The Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer itself warned workers in July that its business model “no longer works in its current form” due to intense competition in China, a crucial market, after announcing 1,900 job losses in February.

    Layoffs Across the Tech and Auto Industry in 2025

    With big companies like Google, Microsoft, and others continuing to reduce their workforces, layoffs in the tech sector are not expected to halt in 2025.

    Companies are still cutting employees in an effort to simplify operations, save money, and emphasise automation and artificial intelligence, even though these figures are much lower than the major layoffs that occurred between 2022 and 2023.

    Layoffs.fyi, a website that tracks layoffs in the industry, reports that 93 organisations have laid off nearly 23,500 tech workers so far this year, and the number is still growing. Google and Microsoft are apparently contemplating a new round of layoffs, according to the most recent job reduction reports.

    According to reports, AI-led restructuring and performance-based terminations are part of the corporations’ goals to increase the effectiveness of their personnel.

    Quick
    Shots

    •Union confirms Porsche’s Cellforce
    Group will lay off ~200 of its 286 employees.

    •IG Metall spokesperson Kai Lamparter
    said notices are expected to go out by August 25.

    •Company declined to comment, while
    Cellforce did not respond to AFP’s request.

    •EU automakers face challenges
    competing with China’s CATL & BYD, raising doubts about Europe’s battery
    sector.

  • Cisco Announces Major Layoffs Despite CEO’s Denial of AI-Related Job Cuts

    Days after CEO Chuck Robbins publicly rejected the idea of laying off employees to make room for artificial intelligence, Cisco Systems announced a new wave of layoffs, removing 157 positions in California.

    The action has drawn legal attention, which has made the company’s attempts to strike a balance between cost containment, shareholder returns, and an expansion strategy driven by AI even more difficult. Employees at a number of Cisco locations will be impacted by the layoffs, with the Milpitas facility seeing the most. According to CRN, 64 more jobs will be lost in San Francisco, while employees at the company’s Pleasanton branch and previous Redwood City headquarters will also be affected.

    According to sources, the positions being terminated range widely, from entry-level workers to top executives, including vice presidents. The layoffs’ timing has drawn criticism. Robbins only stated to CNBC this week that he has no plans to use AI as a cover for cutting staff. He emphasised that he wanted engineers to “innovate faster and be more productive” rather than “fire a bunch of people right now.”

    Strauss Borrelli, a Chicago-based legal firm, has declared that it is looking into whether Cisco complied with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which mandates that companies in the United States give 60 days’ notice before executing mass retirements. In the past, Scott Herren, the chief finance officer at Cisco, referred to job losses associated with AI deployment as a “reallocation versus a headcount savings” effort.

    However, the most recent round comes after two significant worker reductions in the last year: a 5% global decrease in February 2024 and a 7% cut announced in August 2024, both of which the business claimed would maximise shareholder value. Strauss Borrelli stated in a statement that it was investigating whether impacted Cisco workers had been given enough notice and were eligible for benefits and severance pay for 60 days.

    According to reports, employees were notified of the layoffs on August 13th, before the mid-October employment terminations were scheduled. The law firm has questioned whether the correct procedures were followed, even if the dates seem to meet WARN’s standards.

    “We are looking into whether Cisco violated the WARN Act by terminating 157 employees without giving at least 60 days’ notice,” Strauss Borrelli stated. Regarding the legal investigation, the business has not made any public remarks.

    Cisco’s AI Growth Amid Job Cuts

    The layoffs take place as Cisco’s AI-related business is expanding rapidly. The business recently revealed that its AI-related revenues for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 totalled $800 million, bringing its yearly total to $2.1 billion. Robbins informed investors that the majority of this revenue was derived from hyperscaler clients, with the other two-thirds being connected to Cisco’s optical portfolio.

    Impact on Employees and Leadership Shake-Up

    Cisco’s strategic investment in AI infrastructure as a long-term growth engine is highlighted by the financial gain. However, it also draws attention to the paradox of reducing employment while announcing record profits from one of the sectors of the economy with the strongest rate of growth.

    Cisco has announced changes to its senior levels in addition to the job losses. According to CRN, Tim Coogan, senior vice-president for U.S. commercial operations, will succeed Rodney Clark as global partner sales head.

    Quick
    Shots

    •Layoffs follow CEO Chuck Robbins’
    public denial of AI-driven job cuts just days earlier.

    •Job losses affect employees across
    levels, including senior executives and vice presidents.

    •Law firm Strauss Borrelli
    investigating potential WARN Act violations over insufficient layoff notice.

    •Cisco reports $2.1B annual revenue
    from AI-related business, highlighting contrast between growth and job cuts.

  • Chennai IT Employees’ Union Protests Against Mass Layoffs at TCS

    According to a New Indian Express story, the Union of IT & ITES Employees (UNITE) protested Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on 19 August in a number of Indian cities, claiming that almost 30,000 workers may be impacted by current layoffs. TCS, however, has denied the allegation, stating that the cut will only affect around 12,000 jobs, or 2% of its global workforce.

    The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) provided backing for the protests, according to the New Indian Express article. UNITE officials cautioned that the true number of layoffs may be more than reported and called for the government to step in and force TCS to reverse its decision.

    Skilled Employees Also Impacted, Say Workers

    UNITE Joint Secretary Chandra Shekar Azad told The Hindu Business Line that experience has been the only thing that those impacted have in common thus far. He went on to say that teams were becoming uncertain, as even workers with demonstrated abilities and leadership credentials were being let go.

    Alangunambi Welkin, the general secretary of UNITE, told the publication that if authorities do not intervene, the union, which has roughly 300 members, including 50–60 from TCS, intends to expand its fight internationally by working with international trade groups.

    Concerns regarding deficiencies at TCS’s Siruseri campus were also voiced by a few union members. They said that workers were forced to rely on other equipment since they had restricted access to the required upskilling tools on their own devices. These assertions have not been confirmed.

    TCS Denies Large-Scale Job Cuts

    TCS called the union’s claims “inaccurate and misleading” in a statement to Business Line. According to the corporation, changes to the workforce would only affect 2% of its workers. TCS is one of the biggest employers in the private sector in India, employing about 600,000 people worldwide. With an emphasis on cloud, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation, TCS stated that the reorganisation aims to create a “future-ready organisation”.

    Labour Authorities Step In Under Industrial Disputes Act

    The business also stated that impacted workers will receive transition assistance and severance pay. According to a previous ET story, executives from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) informed Karnataka’s labour regulators that they are unsure of the exact number of workers who will be let go in various locations. The business will respond to an IT union’s complaint alleging infringement of labour laws.

    HR executives Mahesh GK, assistant manager, and Boban Varghese Thomas, general manager of HR, represented TCS at the meeting earlier this month. They met with representatives of the Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU), which had brought up the complaint, as well as officials from the Karnataka labour department.

    A list of grievances from impacted employees was requested by labour authorities from the union. It is necessary to address the impacted employees’ basic concerns. G Manjunath, Additional Labour Commissioner (Industrial Relations), presided over the conciliation. In accordance with the 1947 Industrial Disputes Act, the matter is being examined.

    Quick
    Shots

    •Union of IT & ITES Employees
    (UNITE) staged protests in Chennai and other cities on 19 August.

    •Nearly 30,000 jobs at TCS may be at
    risk.

    •TCS denies large-scale layoffs; says
    only 12,000 jobs (~2% of workforce) will be impacted.

    •TCS calls union’s claims “inaccurate
    and misleading.”

  • AT&T Orders Manager Relocations Amid Restructuring, Warns of Layoffs

    AT&T CEO John Stankey is enforcing a market-based mentality by combining help-desk centres and requiring managers to relocate to six hubs or risk losing their jobs. As part of a massive workplace reorganisation, AT&T is forcing more of its managers to transfer or face severance.

    CEO John Stankey’s Push for a Market-Based Culture

    This decision highlights the telecom giant’s strict culture reset under CEO John Stankey. The corporation is reducing 22 internal help-desk locations to just six regional hubs, according to Business Insider. These units’ managers have been given two weeks to make a decision about leaving the company with severance pay or moving.

    On the other hand, unionised employees will be permitted to stay in their current locations, although in various customer service support positions. The modifications, which mostly impact workers who support other AT&T employees, are part of a larger approach Stankey has been following since 2023: centralising operations, reducing legacy expenses, and putting efficiency first.

    A representative for the corporation acknowledged that fewer stores are being opened, but they did not provide a specific number and insisted that the action had nothing to do with Stankey’s recent email to employees.

    AT&T Moving Towards Market Based Culture

    In a direct internal memo earlier this month, Stankey informed staff that AT&T was implementing a “market-based culture” that necessitated greater in-office cooperation. He claimed that tenure-based security and workplace loyalty were outmoded ideas in the missive, which Business Insider was the first to report.

    Six Hub Cities: Where Managers Must Relocate

    An internal poll that revealed a decline in employee engagement prompted the note. Managers told Business Insider they think the memo sped up the timeline, despite AT&T’s insistence that the help-desk consolidation is distinct. Things that used to take years are now being completed in a matter of weeks. The plan requires managers to move to one of six cities: Miami, Orlando, Richardson, Texas; Atlanta; Mesa, Arizona; or Tulsa, Oklahoma.

    Impact on Employees: Relocation vs Severance

    Workers claim they feel torn between leaving their jobs and uprooting households. A number of employees also revealed that department heads had been assigned the responsibility of creating “action plans” to resolve issues brought up in the most recent employee survey.

    Layoffs and Workforce Reduction at AT&T

    The most recent relocation wave is a component of a larger trend. Around 60,000 managers will be redistributed to just nine metro areas, down from 300, according to AT&T’s 2023 announcement. Stankey informed Bloomberg at the time that choices on the relocation of roughly 9,000 employees will be made.

    According to internal data, about half of the 318 managers who were told to relocate in one division under Chief Technology Officer Jeremy Legg declined and quit. As a result, the headcount of the entire company has been declining. AT&T started 2025 with about 141,000 employees, compared to over 160,000 in the beginning of 2023. In contrast, rivals T-Mobile and Verizon reported about 70,000 and 99,000 workers, respectively.

    AI Integration: $3 Billion Cost-Cutting Plan

    Another key component of the company’s strategy is AI. Stankey stated during a January earnings call that AT&T anticipates integrating AI into operations to save $3 billion in operating expenses. AT&T Technology Services is now feeding trouble tickets into its generative AI systems, which can already suggest improvements and even create the code to put them into action, Legg stated at the KeyBanc conference. Although there is still human control, automation is growing quickly.

    Quick
    Shots

    •Managers told to relocate to six hubs
    or accept severance packages.

    •Push for a “market-based culture”
    with centralised operations and reduced costs, CEO John Stankey’s Strategy.

    •Internal support centres cut from 22
    to 6 regional hubs.

    •Two-week deadline to decide; many
    facing relocation vs. job loss dilemma.

  • Oracle Layoffs 2025: US & India OCI Teams Cut Amid AI Expansion Push

    Approximately 10% of Oracle’s Indian workforce was let go by the American computer giant, Oracle, overnight, leaving dozens of talented individuals without jobs.

    Although the business has officially stated that the cuts were due to “restructuring”, industry observers are connecting the action to a change in US policy brought about by Donald Trump’s intensified efforts to limit outsourcing and lessen reliance on H-1B visas.

    US & India OCI Teams Face Job Cuts

    Many Indians are therefore in danger of losing their employment suddenly. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) staff in the US are still receiving layoff notices, while Oracle’s operations in India are among the most severely affected, according to Data Centre Dynamics. Cuts are also reported in Canada.

     Employees in other areas have reported being scheduled for undisclosed management meetings later this week, despite the fact that the US and India have been the first to experience job losses. This has fuelled concern that other workforce cutbacks may be imminent across Oracle’s global operations.

    Larry Ellison’s Meeting with Donald Trump

    On August 7, Larry Wilson, the CEO of Oracle, met with US President Donald Trump at the Oval Office, as per various media reports. According to reports, the conversation covered national data security concerns, technology alliances, and domestic hiring. Oracle and OpenAI announced a historic agreement shortly after, which will allow Oracle’s systems to process a significant amount of OpenAI’s data.

    The software community has expressed concern about the timing, especially as Oracle has started a massive hiring campaign at its Virginia office while reducing its workforce elsewhere. According to insiders, Oracle employees in Mexico have also received notice, and the country may experience layoffs akin to those in India. The layoffs are anticipated to have a major impact on India, where a sizable percentage of Oracle’s global staff resides.

    Oracle India had over 28,824 employees in 2024, which helped the business reach a global workforce of roughly 162,000 in 2025. The reductions will have a particularly large effect on the local talent pool because India has been a vital location for Oracle’s software development, cloud services, and technical support operations.

    In the Seattle region, which has historically served as the unit’s hub, the corporation is reportedly laying off about 150 employees. This week, affected workers received notice that their jobs were being cut. Although the precise number of job cuts is yet unknown, some with knowledge of the situation stated that performance-related concerns were a factor in the decisions. The division is still hiring for a few positions in spite of the cuts, indicating a targeted rather than comprehensive reorganisation.

    Oracle Cuts 10% of India Workforce After Trump Meeting and OpenAI Partnership Deal

    As per the recent update, Oracle, has laid off a significant portion of its personnel in India, affecting around 10% of the local workforce. There is conjecture over the motives for the abrupt reorganisation because the move coincides with the company signing a significant contract with OpenAI and having high-level discussions with US President Donald Trump.

    The timing of the layoff is what makes it more contentious. Oracle CEO Larry Wilson met with US President Donald Trump at the Oval Office just a few days before the announcement of the layoffs. The agenda covered technology collaborations, national data security, and domestic recruiting, according to a number of media reports.

    Oracle and OpenAI announced a historic agreement shortly after, which will allow Oracle’s infrastructure to process enormous amounts of AI data. Many in the tech sector think that the corporation is reallocating resources to the US market in accordance with Trump’s efforts to lessen reliance on H-1B visas and offshore.

    Global Tech Layoffs Trend in 2025

    Oracle’s action is in line with a larger pattern among large tech firms that are reducing employment elsewhere in order to offset the sharply increasing expenses of AI infrastructure.

    This year, Microsoft has laid off some 15,000 employees, and Amazon and Meta Platforms have also reduced their workforces as they reallocate funds to AI projects.

    Even the biggest companies are being forced to reevaluate their spending priorities due to the growing financial needs of AI development, which are fuelled by the requirement for enormous data centre capacity and processing power.

  • TikTok Replaces Human Content Moderators with AI, Cutting Jobs Worldwide

    German TikTok workers have organised fresh strikes in protest of widespread layoffs in the company’s safety and trust division. As part of a broader strategy the firm has been implementing across offices worldwide, the social media giant has announced intentions to dismantle its entire Berlin moderation section, which is in charge of eliminating damaging content, and transfer the work to artificial intelligence and outside contractors.

    Berlin Moderation Team Faces Complete Shutdown

    According to German media reports, the relocation will result in the loss of 150 jobs. In recent weeks, the trade union that represents the employees has pressed TikTok for negotiations.

    Union Response to TikTok Job Cuts

    The union issued the company a list of demands, including severance pay for impacted employees and prolonged notice periods of up to a year, according to Kalle Kunkel, ver.di’s representative for the Berlin-Brandenburg region. TikTok hasn’t responded as of yet. In essence, they replied, “We don’t want to talk to you,” Kunkel recalled. “We went on two strikes after that, but nothing has changed.”

    40% Reduction of German Workforce

    The Berlin moderating staff caters to the approximately 32 million active users who speak German. Despite having offices in multiple locations in Germany, TikTok’s major base is the capital, where it employs about 400 people.

    Its local workforce would be reduced by nearly 40% if the trust and safety workers were cut. The proposed cuts are intended to “streamline workflows and improve efficiency”, according to TikTok spokesperson Anna Sopel, who also emphasised that “we remain fully committed to protecting the safety and integrity of our platform.”

    Like teams throughout the world, Germany’s trust and safety team is responsible for making sure videos don’t contain offensive material like violence, pornography, false information, or hate speech, or they don’t break corporate policies. The union claims that each moderator examines up to 1,000 videos every day, frequently with the assistance of AI techniques.

    Global Impact — Netherlands, Malaysia, and Beyond

    TikTok has been reducing its trust and safety activities worldwide over the past year, gradually substituting automated technology for human moderators. The entire 300-person content moderation crew in the Netherlands was fired by the firm in September.

    AI vs Human Moderators — The Debate Over Safety

    It revealed intentions the following month to install AI-powered systems in Malaysia to replace about 500 moderators. Significant numbers of trust and safety employees throughout Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa were being trimmed, according to a February Reuters story.

    The German layoffs come after Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, testified before the US Congress in 2024 and promised to raise funding for safety and trust. He pledged more than $2 billion at the time to help a team of more than 40,000 individuals worldwide.

    Quick
    Shots

    •TikTok
    replacing human content moderators with AI systems and external contractors.

    •Part
    of a global cost-cutting and efficiency drive

    •Entire
    Berlin trust & safety division to be shut down.

    •About
    150 jobs to be lost, affecting moderation for 32M German-speaking users.

  • ClearTax Lays Off 25% Workforce Amid Restructuring — IIT Graduates Among Affected

    As part of a significant reorganisation, ClearTax has laid off 25% of its workforce, with new hires being among the most affected. Two months after being employed in June, the software developers were let go on August 1st, according to multiple “OpenToWork” and “LaidOff” profiles on LinkedIn.

    IIT Graduates Laid Off Within 60 Days

    Anoop Singh, a 2025 graduate of IIT Guwahati and one of the laid-off workers, posted something on LinkedIn that he “never thought he would have to.” Singh, a software engineer who started working for the company in June of this year, said that it felt “profoundly unfair”, in part because he was not given a “real chance to prove his long-term value”.

    ClearTax’s Official Response to Layoffs

    A ClearTax representative responded by stating that the company recently implemented a more extensive strategic organisational restructure that affected approximately 16% of its personnel, including a few early-career individuals.

    This was a difficult choice, and ClearTax sincerely appreciates the contributions of all those impacted. Through outreach to industry partners, the corporation also announced that it had extended improved severance payouts, maintained health insurance, and actively provided outplacement support.

    The layoffs are described in Clear’s statement as a strategic decision to “reshape teams to enhance agility and future-readiness”, but LinkedIn profiles from impacted employees show sudden departures, some within 60 days of joining the company.

    ClearTax’s Growth and Expansion

    Originally founded as ClearTax, the company changed its name to Clear in 2021 to better represent its expanded product line, which now includes corporate analytics, financial automation, and compliance solutions.

    Serving CFOs and finance teams, Clear has established itself as a growth-stage fintech company with operations in India, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, France, Belgium, and other international countries.

    Concerns About Early-Career Hiring Practices

    The layoffs raise concerns about internal recalibrations notwithstanding recent expansion. The scope and suddenness of the layoffs, particularly of campus hires, have sparked conversations about hiring accountability and transparency in the tech industry, even if Clear’s letter to People Matters emphasised that the company is still “financially strong”.

    IT Graduates Living with a Nightmare

    A wider issue in India’s IT employment market is brought to light by the incident as well: the risk early-career professionals confront in the face of shifting corporate goals.

    A lot of the impacted IIT grads are currently looking for new jobs, but many are wary because of the experience. Concerns have been voiced by some in the academic and human resources communities regarding how businesses handle the welfare and expectations of new hires, especially those who are hired through stringent campus placement procedures.

    The obligation to engage empathetically and communicate clearly remains crucial when businesses reorganise to accommodate future demands, particularly when young professionals’ careers and confidence are at stake.

  • Amazon Closes Wondery Podcast Studio in Restructuring; CEO Jen Sargent Steps Down

    As part of a significant restructuring of its audio division, Amazon is closing its Wondery podcast studio and laying off some 110 employees, according to Bloomberg News. In light of industry-wide difficulties, the move represents the tech giant’s strategic shift away from its initial podcasting goals.

    As current episodes are redistributed between Amazon’s Audible platform and a new “creator services” team devoted to personality-driven content, such as the well-liked Jason and Travis Kelce podcast, Wondery CEO Jen Sargent will also leave the firm.

    Why Amazon Shut Down Wondery?

    In an internal document seen by Bloomberg, Steve Boom, vice president of audio, Twitch, and games at Amazon, stated that the podcast industry has changed dramatically in recent years.

    The definition of what it means to be a podcast developer has also become more hazy due to the popularity of video. During the podcast boom in 2020, Wondery was acquired by Amazon for about $300 million, enabling it to function independently at first with its own membership app. But when the medium changed, the business found it difficult to successfully compete with sites like YouTube and Spotify.

    What’s Next for Amazon’s Podcast Strategy?

    Boom clarified in the memo that these adjustments will not only better suit Amazon’s teams as they strive to capitalise on the strategic opportunities that lie ahead, but more importantly, they will guarantee that the company has the proper framework in place to provide creators, customers, and advertisers with the greatest possible experience. The studio’s narrative-driven content, such as the well-liked Dr Death series, will combine with Audible’s operations, and the Wondery+ subscription service will now report to Audible.

    Amazon’s Broader AI and Audio Strategy

    In order to better take advantage of sponsorship opportunities across Amazon’s wider platform, well-known talent programmes with stars like Dax Shepard will move to the new creative services team.

    Amazon Web Services (AWS) has also revealed that Amazon Bedrock and Amazon SageMaker AI will be the first to offer OpenAI’s open-weight models.

    This move would make OpenAI’s technology available to millions of AWS users, enabling the company’s clients to develop generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

    Amazon has stated in a blog post that its platforms will offer OpenAI’s two new open-weight foundation models, gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b.

    Tech Layoffs in 2025: A Continuing Trend

    With big companies like Google, Microsoft, and others continuing to reduce their workforces, layoffs in the tech sector are not expected to halt in 2025.

    Companies are still cutting employees in an effort to simplify operations, save money, and emphasise automation and artificial intelligence, even though these figures are much lower than the major layoffs that occurred between 2022 and 2023.

    Layoffs.fyi, a website that tracks layoffs in the industry, reports that 93 organisations have laid off nearly 23,500 tech workers so far this year, and the number is still growing.

  • Atlassian Lays Off 150 Staff, CEO Cannon-Brookes Faces Backlash

    According to various media reports, Atlassian co-founder and billionaire CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes told employees via pre-recorded video message last week that the firm would eliminate 150 employees from its workforce. According to a Sky News story, the message was delivered early on July 30 and showed the 45-year-old software tycoon speaking from what looked to be his home office while casually wearing a faded green hoodie.

    Cannon-Brookes’ Video Message Raises Eyebrows

    According to the story, Cannon-Brookes clarified in the video that the corporation was moving towards a new innovative business strategy, which included the elimination of some roles. However, other employees found the impersonal delivery to be more startling.

    According to Sky News, affected employees were only notified via email of their fate and were apparently forced to wait an additional fifteen minutes after the video to find out if they were among those being let go. According to the report, impacted staff members were locked out of their laptops in the hours that followed.

    Response from Atlassian

    In an exclusive email interaction with Startuptalky, Atlassian spokesperson stated, “We have made the hard decision to let a small cohort of customer service and support (CSS) employees go. We made this decision after implementing improvements to the customer experience across our platform and tools, resulting in a significant reduction in support needs. While we’re proud of this momentum, it leaves us with more capacity than needed to deliver strong customer support. These improvements include reducing the time spent on support tickets with more efficient ways to route work to the right experts who can resolve issues more quickly, better identification and resolution of error codes and more.”

    Further clearing the romours on replacing human workforce with AI, spkoesperson added, “The aforementioned roles are not being replaced by AI. For each impacted employee, we’re providing a generous severance package, healthcare benefits for them and their families, six months access to our EAP and mental health services, visa support if needed, internal mobility and outplacement services.”

    Jet Purchase, Billionaire Status Draw Criticism

    Reaction to Atlassian’s layoffs has come from both inside and outside the organisation, especially in light of Cannon-Brookes’ questionable investments and substantial personal wealth—estimated at $13.9 billion. The CEO has been actively investing in renewable energy projects, such as an underwater cable project connecting Darwin to Singapore to export solar energy, at the same time that the decision to eliminate jobs in favour of AI was made.

    However, his recent purchase of a gas-guzzling private jet in March has drawn harsh criticism, according to a Sky News report. As per the report, Cannon-Brookes justified his contentious purchase of a $75 million long-range jet, the Bombardier 7500, back in March by claiming on LinkedIn that it enables him to be a “present dad” while managing a multinational company.

    According to the report, he acknowledged that the action presented ethical concerns, saying, “I’m not denying I have a deep internal conflict on this.”

    The CEO provided justification by stating, “I bought a jet for a few reasons. According to the Sky News story, “Personal security is the main reason (an unfortunate reality of my world), but I also want to be able to run a global business from Australia and still be a constantly present dad.”

    Farquhar: AI is ‘Essential for the Future’

    According to the media reports, the layoffs occurred right after Scott Farquhar, Atlassian’s other co-founder, spoke at the National Press Club of Australia and hailed artificial intelligence as crucial for the future.

    First, according to Farquhar, most people don’t consider the source of their power or water, nor do they consider the origin of artificial intelligence (AI) or the AI they use on a daily basis on their phones. He went on to say that the construction of data centres for the area is booming, and that the use of AI in daily life is also booming.

    He emphasised that everyone should use AI on a regular basis for as many purposes as possible. He stated that, similar to any new technology, it will be uncomfortable to use at first, but every businessperson, business leader, government leader, and bureaucrat should be utilising it.