iWorld
Akon set to rock World Tennis League Season 3 once again
Mumbai: The World Tennis League (WTL) is delighted to announce that the Grammy Award winning-artist Akon will be performing at the third season of the league, scheduled to be held at the iconic Etihad Arena from 19 to 22 December 2024.
With Akon joining the legendary rock musician Bryan Adams and American pop diva Anastacia in a star-studded line-up of artists, the WTL promises to be bigger and more exciting as it builds on the success of the previous seasons.
The chart-topping artist, who performed in the last edition, is set to enthral the crowd with his live performances on 21 December, concluding the penultimate day of the WTL 2024 at the Etihad arena in Yas Island.
Akon, who performed in the previous edition of the World Tennis League, is an influential figure in the music world. His unique blend of R&B, hip-hop and pop music has captivated audiences worldwide for decades and dominated the charts with hits like Smack That, Right Now (Na Na Na), Lonely and I Wanna Love You.
Building on the success of previous seasons, the WTL has established itself as a premier event that combines elite tennis with electrifying musical performances. With preparations for the ‘Greatest Show on Court’ in full swing, Season 3 is shaping up to be a highlight of the sporting calendar this year.
Concert ticket holders can upgrade their WTL experience by securing a discounted add-on Tennis ticket for the Tennis matches for the day.
Tickets will go on sale at etihadarena.ae later this week and stay tuned for one more hitmaker’s announcement, who is set to join Akon to perform on 21 December.
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.
