iWorld
TVF’s Most Loved Web Series Of 2018
MUMBAI: 2018 was the year of unconventional stories – from family drama that followed a unique perspective, to sibling love and bonds of friendship; all narrated in the form of web series. The Viral Fever, Girliyapa, The Timeliners and The Screen Patti released stellar content that made viewers laugh, cry and enjoy each moment of 2018.
Here are some of the top shows of 2018
College Romance
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYzY3YjFlZTktNzI2MS00NjEwLWIwNjQtZDg0YmU5MTUxZWJmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDAzNDk0MTQ@._V1_QL50_.jpg
A Timeliners Original, College Romance is all about Yaar PyaarAur Bakchodi. It is a story that revolves around 3 friends in college, Karan, Trippy and Naira who all fall in love and their humorous love stories take off! While they believe they are officially adults, their actions speak otherwise.
College Romance starring Manjoy Singh, Apoorva Arora and Keshav Sadhna has received over 36 million views, and counting!
Yeh Meri Family
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZWMxMjBiZmUtMjM1Yi00ODk4LWE4MjctNmFlYzIzNmE4MmU4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzEyNTM4MTU@._V1_QL50_SY1000_CR0,0,706,1000_AL_.jpgRiddled in nostalgia, Yeh Meri Family remains to be one of the most loved web series of 2018. A quick ride down the 90s, the show is the perfect amalgamation of fun, emotions and memories, keeping family values at its very core. Summer vacations, exam pressure, sibling wars, family dinners, FLAMES and slam books; Yeh Meri Family is the ultimate nostalgia pill. Directed by Sameer Saxena, starring Mona Singh and Akarsh Khurana, the show has been viewed over 25 million times
Flames #PadhaiAurPyaar
Ritvik Sahore and Tanya Maniktala in Flames (2018)The story of a young romance unfolding as a chemical reaction. Studious Rajat falls for Ishita, the new girl in the tuition. Rajat’s BFFs, Pandey & Anusha's friendship are beginning to turn into a relationship. The equations of friendships evolve in the first season of this teenage romance stars Ritwik Sahore, Sunakshi Grover and Tanya Manaktala garned over 24 million views till date, spreading love and friendship with the TVF family.
Engineering Girls
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODkwMmIwYjMtYzY2ZC00N2E2LTkyNmUtZjUyMjVhYzE4NmQxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDAzNDk0MTQ@._V1_QL50_SX742_CR0,0,742,999_AL_.jpgWith over 23 million views, this GirliyapaOriginal, tells the story of three feisty girls -Teja, Maggu, and Sabu, as they navigate the halls & hostels of their engineering college. Written by Jasdeep ‘Sardarboy’ Singh and Prakriti Kargeti, the 5 Episode series provided a fresh and new perspective to engineering college experience. Staring Barkha Singh, SejalKumar and Kritika Avasthi, the show follows the misadventures of the trio who want to leave a mark on the world, despite the odds; as they chase their dreams of finding love & starting their own company, while being a part of the drama club and trying to submit their practical files on time.
Awkward Conversations with Parents
Loveleen Mishra, Subhrajyoti Barat, and Ritvik Sahore in Awkward Conversations with Parents (2018)
The Screen Patti (TSP) Original, this 5 Episode series revolves around Ishan, who somehow always get caught up in an awkward situation with his parents! In an endeavor to break the taboo of not having open conversations with one’s parents; this show features an awkward conversation in each episode and was an instant hit with the youth. Starring Ritvik Sahore the series has received over 16 million views and counting.
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.
