iWorld
Pocket FM blockbuster audio series ‘Insta Millionaire’ storms audio entertainment
Mumbai: Pocket FM has made a remarkable achievement as its blockbuster audio series “Insta Millionaire” has surpassed over Rs 30 crore in revenue. With over 900 episodes, this extensive storytelling has taken the world by storm and surpassed 300 million plays across English, Hindi and Tamil, clocking over 3.5 billion listening minutes.
Commenting on the success of the blockbuster show, Pocket FM SVP-content and strategy Ashu Behl, said, “Our audio series offer long-form storytelling that engages and captivates our listeners. ‘Insta Millionaire’ has been a massive success, and we’re thrilled to see a growing appetite among our audience for unconventional genres like sci-fi, fantasy, and thrillers. In fact, some of these series are generating the same level of demand and revenue as any popular web or TV shows. With the increasing adoption of audio, we firmly believe that audio storytelling will emerge as another mainstream category of entertainment. At Pocket FM, we’re excited to be leading the change and can’t wait to see the future of entertainment unfolding with audio series.”
Swapnil Jain, the writer who scripted the storytelling for Insta Millionaire, elaborates that the captivating story of “Insta Millionaire” follows the journey of a young man named ‘Lucky’, as he rises from rags to riches in a thrilling game of luck. Despite his humble beginnings and struggles, Lucky remains strong and selfless, keeping his hardships hidden from his love-life, even when his girlfriend cheats on him.
“As a storyteller, Insta Millionaire’s success is an achievement that has allowed me to spread my wings and soar to greater heights. Pocket FM has given me the opportunity to share my passion for storytelling with a wider audience. With their immense support, writers like myself can bring our tales to life, captivate listeners with every word and share it with the world,” Jain added.
The gripping storyline of “Insta Millionaire” has resonated with listeners of various ages, but has especially struck a chord with younger audiences. With a staggering 80 per cent of its listeners falling between the ages of 18-35, this audio series has become a major source of entertainment.
Beside Insta Millionaire, Pocket FM boasts a collection of over 1500 audio-series. It has a library that includes an extensive range of audio series catering to a wide variety of genres, from romantic tales to spine-tingling thrillers.
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.
