ByteDance’s TikTok is cutting hundreds of jobs, here’s why
Social media platform TikTok is laying off hundreds of employees from its global workforce, including many in Malaysia, the company said Friday, as it shifts focus to greater use of AI in content moderation.
Two sources familiar with the matter previously told Reuters that more than 700 jobs have been cut in Malaysia. TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, later clarified that fewer than 500 employees in the country were affected.
The employees, most of whom were involved in the company’s content moderation activities, were notified of their dismissals by email late Wednesday, the sources said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media talk.
In response to Reuters’ questions, TikTok confirmed the layoffs and said several hundred employees worldwide are expected to be affected as part of a broader plan to improve moderation operations.
TikTok uses a mix of automated detection and human moderators to review content posted to the site.
According to the company website, ByteDance has more than 110,000 employees in more than 200 cities worldwide.
The tech company is also planning more cuts next month as it looks to consolidate some of its regional operations, one of the sources said.
“We are making these changes as part of our ongoing efforts to further strengthen our global content moderation business model,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.
The company expects to invest $2 billion (approximately Rs. 16,812 crore) globally in trust and security this year and will continue to improve efficiency, with 80 percent of guideline-violating content now removed by automated technologies, the spokesperson said.
The layoffs were first reported by business portal The Malaysian Reserve on Thursday.
The job cuts come as global tech companies face increased regulatory pressure in Malaysia, where the government has asked social media operators to apply for operating licenses by January as part of an effort to combat cybercrimes.
Malaysia reported a sharp increase in harmful social media content earlier this year and urged companies including TikTok to step up monitoring on their platforms.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
