iWorld
Anil Kumar joins Skandha Media as director of growth & biz development
MUMBAI: Cloud-based playout, broadcast, and OTT solutions provider Skandha Media Services has appointed Anil Kumar as director of growth and business development.
Kumar brings over seven years of industry experience, having previously served as director of SaaS, south Asia at TVU Networks and India sales head at Amagi. He has contributed to high-profile projects with leading brands including Warner Bros. Discovery, Viacom18, Samsung TV Plus, IndiaTV, and Shemaroo.
In his new role, Kumar will spearhead Skandha’s growth strategy by driving adoption of its cloud and AI-powered ad monetisation tools within general entertainment and news platforms, while expanding its live sports streaming customer base. He will focus on gathering client insights, forging new technology partnerships, and expanding the company’s reseller network.
Skandha Media Services founder & CEO Yogesh Salian said: “Anil’s proven track record in sales, data-driven decision-making, and his extensive industry network will be invaluable as we strategically broaden our presence across south Asia and beyond.”
Said Kumar: “Skandha’s culture of creativity, leadership, and its reputation for delivering first-class playout services for major events like those on Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema were key factors in my decision. I look forward to contributing to its continued growth.”
Kumar holds a bachelor of engineering from BIT Sindri Engineering College and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Lucknow, where he was recognised as “the most creative mind” on campus. He is also a published author, sketch artist, and mentor to young professionals.
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.
