iWorld
AltBalaji collaborates with ketto india; launches #oonchiudaan
MUMBAI: ALTBalaji, India’s leading homegrown OTT platform, in association with Ketto India launches Oonchi Udaan —an initiative that will help in empowering women across our country. Through this initiative, the OTT player aims to create a deep impact in contributing towards women’s welfare in order to get them ready for the future and face the world with utmost confidence. As part of the initiative, Rs.5 from each ALTBalaji subscription will be donated as proceedings towards this cause. It has always been ALTBalaji’s endeavour to portray the strength of today’s Indian woman with each of its initiatives and even the strong characterization of women depicted in its shows.
Oonchi Udaan will work towards the betterment of the underprivileged women of our society by providing them with education, teaching life-skills and enhancing their livelihood skills. In addition to that, it will also help build a strong 360-degree life of learning and economic foundation that equips women to escape the cycle of poverty.
Commenting on the collaboration, Divya Dixit, Senior VP & Marketing Head ALTBalaji said, ‘Women empowerment and their upliftment in modern-day society is extremely close to our hearts at ALTBalaji. It is something that is also highlighted prominently in our women-centric shows whether it be Haq Se, Kehne Ko Hum Safar Hain, The Test Case or the most recent one Mission Over Mars. Oonchi Udaan aims to empower underprivileged women to learn new skillsets and becoming independent. It is our one small step in the right direction towards women receiving the support and we request you to support us in this mission”
Speaking on the association, Varun Sheth, CEO of Ketto said, “The development of our nation is directly appended to the empowerment of women. It’s utterly essential that we as a nation address this problem of socio-economic inequality where women succumb to poverty due to lack of education, resources, and skill development. Crowdfunding can help create the much-needed avenues for women empowerment wherein initiatives like ‘Oonchi Udaan’ are funded to help equip women with skills required to escape the cycle of poverty.”
ALTBalaji with its latest web series M.O.M – Mission Over Mars, showcased an inspiring story of determination and faith of four women scientists who led the Mars mission. They not only led it, but made it a resounding success despite the lack of resources, time and at the brunt of constant doubts and taunts. To help kick-start this initiative, the digital platform is donating towards the cause through every new subscription they receive for Mission-Over-Mars.
With the brand’s presence being extremely strong amongst a wide cross-section of the population in the country, the initiative will help to create awareness and acceptance amongst the masses. Building on the legacy of creating iconic shows, ALTBalaji’s exclusive content library has built a catalogue of more than 45 Originals like ‘Apharan,’ ‘Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain,’ ‘Home,’ ‘Gandii Baat’, ‘The Test Case’, ‘Bose: Dead or Alive’ among others, which continue to be lauded by viewers across the globe.
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.
