iWorld
Amazon to tickle your bones with Funny or Die films
MUMBAI: From only streaming to now producing, Amazon has taken a leap. One of the top OTT video content providers, Amazon, is financing the production of three Funny Or Die (FOD) comedy shorts to be available exclusively worldwide on Prime Video. This is happening for the first time that it is investing in the development of original, exclusive partner content.
The deal has given creators, studios and distributors different options for distributing content on Amazon’s video platforms.
Under the partnership, Prime Video will debut three new original FOD shorts on Nov. 10:
Lovebirds
Written and directed by Ahamed Weinberg (“Comedy Bang! Bang!”, “Quincy Jones: Burning the Light”), the short film tells the story of a lonely young man who buys a bird feeder to attract birds to the window of his studio apartment. When that doesn’t work, he’s compelled to fall in love with a woman in his apartment complex.
The Jury
Written and directed by Anna Kerrigan (“Hot Seat,” web series “The Impossibilities”), it brings viewers into a roomful of bored strangers called for jury duty awaiting their assignments, when a mysterious, foul odour unites — and then threatens to divide — them in a quest to find the source.
Soojung Dreams of Fiji
Documentary satire written by SJ Son and directed by Hye Yun Park about first-generation Korean-American Soojung Yoon, a renowned nail salon owner, who elevates her craft to an art form — an unexpected profession that puts her into conflict with her immigrant mother.
According to the source Variety, Funny Or Die VP partner content Brian Toombs said, “We have had great success with showcasing our content on Prime Video through Amazon Video Direct.” Our comedy has really resonated with the Amazon audience and we look forward to showcasing these original shorts on the service.”
Amazon Video Direct, launched in 2016, provides four options to content owners. They can make their content available: in Prime Video at no additional charge to Prime members; as an add-on subscription to Prime Video; for a one-time rental or a one-time purchase price; or available to all Amazon customers on an ad-supported basis. The new FOD shorts will be distributed on Prime Video globally.
Funny Or Die was founded 10 years ago by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, and Chris Henchy as a comedy website destination. The company, whose investors include CAA and AMC Networks, has increasingly branched into TV and film projects.
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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.
