iWorld
Bowled.io announces partnership with Sky Mavis
Mumbai: Bowled.io, a sports-based social gaming platform, announced that it had been selected as one of the first five studios to build and launch games on Ronin, an EVM blockchain specifically forged for gaming. Launched by Sky Mavis, the creator of Web3’s breakout title Axie Infinity which has generated over $1.3 billion in revenue, Ronin is the only blockchain proven to scale a single game to accommodate millions of daily active users and has processed over $ four billion in NFT volume. Building on Ronin will enable Bowled.io to have access to Sky Mavis’ battle-tested infrastructure and expand its audience and reach to global Web3 natives.
As a component of the partnership, every Bowled.io user will have the opportunity to access the Ronin wallet and marketplace, facilitating secure and efficient transactions for all users. Users of Bowled.io will be provided with the opportunity to participate in consensus and earn rewards for their efforts in supporting the network.
“Axie is a global digital nation where people come together to play, work, and make lifelong connections. Even though the gaming industry is expanding, the shelf life of even the most successful games is shrinking fast. At Bowled.io, we believe that sports have the power and appeal to attract and retain people across the globe. We are thrilled to be able to offer the Axie community a new gaming experience, while leveraging Ronin’s infrastructure,” commented Bowled.io co-founder Rahul Singh.
“Bowled.io’s highly talented team has a proven track record in the sports and gaming domains, working with brands like McKinsey, Disney, Star Sports, and Facebook. Bowled.io and Axie Infinity share a mutual 360-degree approach to community activation. We are excited to welcome the Bowled community, which is predominantly mobile-first, blockchain-friendly, and full of sports enthusiasts. We look forward to growing the Axie Universe together,” commented Sky Mavis head of business development Kathleen Osgood.
Bowled.io is on the cusp of an exciting new chapter, as it sets out to conquer the world of sports gaming beyond the realm of cricket. With plans to expand its offerings to basketball, soccer, tennis, and combat sports, the company is on track to become a major player in the industry. Fueling this ambitious vision is the recent infusion of $ three million in funding from a distinguished group of global investors and industry leaders. Additionally, the company has received a major vote of confidence from Harsha Bhogle, a respected cricket expert and strategic investor, further bolstering Bowled.io’s potential for growth and dominance in the sports gaming market.
iWorld
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.
