TikTok has announced that it will be laying off hundreds of employees from its global team, with a significant portion of the cuts taking place in Malaysia. The decision comes as the company aims to enhance its use of artificial intelligence in content moderation, the platform stated on Friday.
According to two sources familiar with the situation, more than 700 positions were eliminated in Malaysia. However, TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, later corrected this figure, indicating that fewer than 500 employees were impacted in the region.
The affected employees, primarily engaged in content moderation tasks, were notified of their layoffs via email late Wednesday. These sources wished to remain anonymous due to restrictions on speaking with the media.
In response to inquiries from Reuters, TikTok confirmed the layoffs and mentioned that several hundred positions would be affected globally, which is part of a broader strategy to enhance its content moderation practices.
The platform employs a combination of automated tools and human moderators to manage user-generated content on its site.
ByteDance reportedly has over 110,000 employees across more than 200 cities worldwide, according to information on the company’s website.
Additionally, plans for further job cuts next month have been indicated as the company seeks to streamline its regional operations, according to one insider.
A TikTok spokesperson commented, “We’re implementing these changes as part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen our global operating model for content moderation.”
This year, the company aims to invest $2 billion (approximately Rs. 16,812 crore) globally in trust and safety initiatives, striving to enhance efficiency, with automated systems now removing 80 percent of content that violates guidelines, the spokesperson noted.
The layoffs were initially reported by The Malaysian Reserve on Thursday.
These job reductions occur against the backdrop of increasing regulatory scrutiny on global tech companies operating in Malaysia. The government has mandated that social media platforms secure an operating license by January to combat cyber offenses.
This year, Malaysia has witnessed a notable rise in harmful social media content and has called on companies, including TikTok, to enhance their monitoring efforts on these platforms.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
