iWorld
It’s a match! Tinder and Pocket Aces team up to show how people are Dating In 2020 in the new format ‘FilterCopy Mini’
NEW DELHI: In a bid to constantly innovate, and cater to the changing content consumption habits of the audience, Pocket Aces’ short-form video channel, FilterCopy, has launched a new Instagram-first format called ‘FilterCopy Mini’ that will focus on telling short, relatable stories in just under a minute.
‘Dating in 2020’, the first series of videos under the format, reveals the experiences of 5 young couples that match on Tinder during the lockdown. The 5 one-minute videos successfully showcase how the audience is now adapting to the ‘new normal’.
The global pandemic has accelerated the way people date online. While the need for human connection is enduring, COVID-19 has dissolved the lines between our digital and physical lives, and social distancing has not meant disconnecting. Furthermore, dates, especially first ones, are getting creative — a reality, depicted in these 5 FilterCopy Mini videos. From matching with neighbours you have never spoken to before, having a dance challenge as your first virtual date to finding someone you can enjoy grocery shopping with or simply two former classmates rekindling a could-have-been romance after matching on Tinder — each ‘Dating in 2020’ FilterCopy Mini promises to let the viewers in on a fresh and heartwarming date.
Featuring some of the biggest digital faces of the country like Ahsaas Channa (Kota Factory, Girls Hostel), Rohan Shah (Firsts, Hacked) Apoorva Arora (Firsts, College Romance), Ankur Rathee (4 More Shots, Made in Heaven, Thappad), Akanksha Thakur (Cheesecake, Pitchers, PA Girls), popular American YouTuber, Jaby Koay and beloved TV actor Vishal Vashishtha, the five FilterCopy Mini ‘Dating in 2020’ videos are now available on FilterCopy’s Instagram page.
Commenting on the launch of the new format, FilterCopy, Channel Manager- Sripriya Yegneswaran, said, “To stay true to our mission of solving boredom, we’re constantly innovating on content formats and exploring fresher ways to keep our audiences engaged. After the huge success of both the seasons of Firsts, an Instagram-first format on our other channel, Dice Media, we had enough data to recognize that there was a massive appetite for bite-sized ‘stories’ which led to the inception of FilterCopy Mini. We’re quite excited to bring this freshly brewed format to the audience with Tinder as our first partner since it is the most intuitive fit for the current dating landscape that we are trying to showcase in Dating in 2020.”
Speaking of the partnership, Tinder spokesperson, said, “The most important thing we can do right now is to give our members a way to escape social distancing and self-quarantine and find solidarity with new matches around the world. Tinder is about making new connections and breaking down barriers – whether that’s digitally or IRL. Through this partnership, we’re showcasing how in challenging times, we still find a way to maintain social rhythms that will sustain us”
Catch all the episodes on Filtercopy’s Instagram page. You can also binge all episodes on YouTube. Stay tuned for more freshly brewed content from FilterCopy!
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.
