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Naidu urges officers to take to modern technology in the age of social media
NEW DELHI: In a meet that was meant to convey sarkaari farmaan as well as admonish, Information & Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today told his officers today that the focus of communication strategy should be to incorporate innovative and out of the box ideas in order to keep pace with the changing communication paradigm.
In a meeting with senior Indian Information Service officers, he said the communication approach of the Ministry should strive for empowerment of people, by informing them regarding key initiatives of the Government in order to take Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Reform, Perform and Transform” forward.
Technology played a critical part in defining the communication approach especially with the enhanced role of different media platforms.Secretary Ajay Mittal was also present on the occasion.
The Minister said there is an urban-rural divide in the country and the communication managers should design appropriate strategies to address the vast cross section living in rural areas, marginalized communities and focus on the empowerment of the women.
Naidu said it is important to engage with the people through innovative products, creative messages and a language which is easily comprehendible. The Minister cited the example of Prime Minister’s Mann ki Baat broadcasts on All India Radio as an innovative approach to reach out to the people. It is also a challenge for Government communication managers to re-examine their approach towards critical issues and schemes such as Goods and Services Tax, Jan Dhan Yojana, Neem coated urea etc.
The Minister stressed on the need for IIS officers to learn and adapt to the new technologies, tools, techniques to enhance reach of the government especially in the age of social media. The social media perspective had changed the way communication and governance was conducted in the present day. This provided challenges and opportunities for the officers. In his interaction, the Minister emphasized on the need to be progressive in thought and take pride in the role and responsibility assigned to each officer. He specifically mentioned the initiative taken by the Ministry to institutionalize capacity building through appropriate training programs at different career levels.
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Meta plans 8,000 layoffs in new AI-led restructuring wave
First phase from May 20 may cut 10 per cent workforce amid AI pivot.
MUMBAI: At Meta, the future may be artificial but the cuts are very real. The social media giant is reportedly preparing a fresh round of layoffs, with an initial wave expected to impact around 8,000 employees as it doubles down on its artificial intelligence ambitions. According to a Reuters report, the first phase of job cuts is slated to begin on May 20, targeting roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s global workforce. With nearly 79,000 employees on its rolls as of December 31, the move marks one of the company’s most significant workforce reductions in recent years.
And this may only be the beginning. Sources indicate that additional layoffs are being planned for the second half of the year, although the scale and timing remain fluid, likely to be shaped by how Meta’s AI capabilities evolve in the coming months. Earlier reports had suggested that total cuts in 2026 could reach 20 per cent or more of its workforce.
The restructuring comes as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg continues to steer the company towards an AI-first operating model, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to the transition. Internally, this shift is already visible: teams within Reality Labs have been reorganised, engineers have been moved into a newly formed Applied AI unit, and a Meta Small Business division has been created to align with broader structural changes.
The trend is hardly isolated. Across the tech sector, companies are trimming headcount while investing aggressively in automation. Amazon, for instance, has reportedly cut around 30,000 corporate roles nearly 10 per cent of its white-collar workforce citing efficiency gains driven by AI. Data from Layoffs.fyi shows over 73,000 tech employees have already lost jobs this year, compared with 153,000 in all of 2024.
For Meta, the move echoes its earlier “year of efficiency” in 2022–23, when about 21,000 roles were eliminated amid slowing growth and market pressures. This time, however, the backdrop is different. The company is financially stronger, generating over $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year, with shares up 3.68 per cent year-to-date though still below last summer’s peak.
That contrast underlines the shift underway. These layoffs are less about survival and more about reinvention. As Meta restructures itself around AI from autonomous coding agents to advanced machine learning systems, the question is no longer whether the company will change, but how many roles will be left unchanged when it does.
