iWorld
Facebook approaches broadcasters & streaming services for new TV chat device: Reports
MUMBAI: Facebook has approached broadcasters and streaming services like Netflix, Disney, Hulu and HBO for a new TV chat device for making video calls from TVs. The platform is also planning to launch its own TV streaming service.
According to a report in ‘The Information’, the Facebook TV chat device will use the same technology currently available in the company's video-calling 'Portal' devices. The platform is planning to launch an updated version of its video chat device 'Portal' later this year.
Facebook's Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) vice president Andrew Bosworth has confirmed that the company has a lot more to unveil later this year related to Portal.
The report also informed that the new device, code-named Catalina, will also come with a physical remote and a streaming video service similar to other television boxes like Apple TV.
Portal was launched in November 2018. While the smaller device was priced at $199, the larger "Portal Plus" was made available for $349 with a 10-inch display and 15-inch display, respectively.
The smart camera-enabled device is also powered by Amazon's voice assistant Alexa and comes with front cameras. Facebook Portal has a 10-inch display, while there is a 15-inch display on the Portal+. The devices offer hands-free voice control and allow users to start a video call simply by saying "Hey Portal". It uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to recognise people in the frame and follow them as they move throughout a room.
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.
