iWorld
Apple likely to announce new TV streaming service on 25 March
MUMBAI: Apple is all set to reveal new details of its upcoming TV streaming service officially, later this month on 25 March, according to various reports.
Apple had sent out an announcement revealing that it will hold a press event at 10 am PT at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California. The company has not given any details on the products that would be launched during the event, but the the video gives a clue by a brief countdown gif, which simply ends with the Apple logo and the tagline “It’s show time.” This likely means that the company could be launching its much-rumoured subscription services for video and news.
CNBC reported that the service will offer iPhone and iPad owners access to free original shows. It will also contain the option to sign up for other streaming services, like Starz and Showtimes, though it will likely be available outside of iOS as well. Rumors about the the company’s new video streaming services will be an attempt to rival Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu with its original programming. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple has invested over a billion dollars to produce shows for its video-streaming services.
Buzzfeed reported that during the event, Apple would also launch premium news subscription services. The company has partnered with several publications like The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, etc. However, publishers are allegedly resistant to this “Netflix for news” service, as Apple purportedly intends to keep 50 per cent of its revenue.
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.
