LONDON: Meta Platforms Inc. on Wednesday carried out another round of job cuts, this time hitting engineers and adjacent tech teams, as Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg further moved to streamline the business in a bid to make 2023 a “year of efficiency.”
Meta in March became the first Big Tech company to announce a second round of mass layoffs, which it said would take place in three main batches over several months and impact 10,000 employees.
Wednesday’s cuts, though expected, prompted expressions of frustration from Meta employees. Layoffs were the subject of the most popular questions posted on an internal company forum on Wednesday ahead of an upcoming employee town hall.
“You’ve shattered the morale and confidence in leadership of many high performers who work with intensity. Why should we stay at Meta?” read one question seen by Reuters.
The question references comments Zuckerberg made last year urging employees to work with more “intensity” to meet the Facebook and Instagram parent company’s business challenges.
The company declined a Reuters request for comment.
Meta’s first round of layoffs in the fall hit more than 11,000 employees, or 13 percent of its workforce at the time, and preceded other major tech companies shedding thousands of employees after a pandemic-led boom in digital advertising and cloud computing.
With the restructuring, Meta is also shelving lower-priority projects and “flattening” layers of middle management.
Investors have rewarded the company for downsizing.
Meta shares have surged about 80 percent this year, outperforming the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite’s 16 percent rise in the period.
The company, which will announce its first-quarter results on April 26, is expected to benefit from a modest pickup in the digital advertising market and regulatory pressure on chief rival TikTok.
Meta lays off tech teams, battering employee morale
https://arab.news/jfzk2
Meta lays off tech teams, battering employee morale
- Employees expressed frustration, low confidence after latest round of layoffs
- Investors rewarded Meta's decision to downsize the company, shares surged 80%
Shahid, Disney+ and OSN+ launch exclusive streaming bundle across GCC
- Bundle available exclusively visa Shahid for $25 a month
RIYADH: In a landmark regional collaboration, Shahid, Disney+, and OSN+ have announced an exclusive streaming bundle that brings together world-class hits from the three platforms under a single subscription in a first-of-its-kind offer for audiences in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
The all-in-one entertainment package, available only through Shahid in the GCC for about $25 a month, grants subscribers full access to three leading platforms covering Hollywood blockbusters, Disney+’s expansive range of beloved films, animations and series, OSN+’s library of HBO originals and international hits, and Shahid’s Arabic premium content.
The bundle is designed to simplify subscription management with a unified payment model, allowing viewers to access all three apps at the price of two and offering a streamlined user experience.
Natasha Matos-Hemingway, chief commercial and marketing officer at Shahid, said the partnership reflects a broader effort to expand digital entertainment offerings in the Middle East, catering to a growing audience seeking diversity, convenience and high-quality programming.
“We are proud to collaborate with OSN+ and Disney+ to offer an unmatched streaming experience to our subscribers,” she said. “With one subscription, one payment, and full access to premium content from all three platforms, we’re delivering unbeatable convenience, value and entertainment.”
With a growing demand for high-quality on-demand content, the bundle is expected to attract a wide range of users seeking comprehensive entertainment without juggling multiple subscriptions.
The move also signals increasing cooperation between global media giants and regional platforms, in a bid to meet the entertainment preferences of Arab audiences while expanding market reach.
Karl Holmes, SVP and general manager at Disney+ EMEA, said the collaboration will bring award-winning series like FX’s “Shogun” and favorites such as “Lilo & Stitch” into a unique bundle with Shahid’s regional hits including “Al Dariya.”
The agreement “reflects a shared ambition between Disney+ and Shahid to shape the future of entertainment in the Middle East,” said Holmes. “The Middle East is young, dynamic and fast-growing, and we’re delighted to give consumers a new and easy way to access extraordinary content at exceptional value.”
Choucri Khairallah, chief business officer at OSN+, said the partnership takes OSN+’s entertainment experience “to the next level.”
He added: “Today’s audiences expect more than great content; they seek seamless access, variety and exceptional value. This all-in-one bundle delivers exactly that.”
