iWorld
HiPi launches on android, to be available for ioS soon
KOLKATA: Short video platform HiPi has announced a separate app in the user-generated content (UGC) market. After being a part of Zee5 as a beta version since its launch in 2020, ‘HiPi ka naya adda’ will now be available for Android users from 18 June and iOS users from 22 June.
The app comes equipped with quality features, including the latest trending music tracks, interactive filters, and effects to help brands establish a deeper bond with their audiences. It even allows users to apply 3D face filters, lip-sync edit videos and create dubbing videos to add a touch of magic to their content.
As part of this novel journey, HiPi has also rolled out a month-long campaign #EntertainmentKiBaarish to redefine the meaning of fun. It aims to democratise the digital content arena by providing an even break to both the creators and the viewers from across the nation.
The campaign will feature tie-ups with renowned brands and allow users to engage with mind-blowing challenges across genres and contests like Dance Bangla Dance, where creators and viewers can win weekly prizes by performing a unique hook step as per the weekly dance theme, which will be curated by the jury and mentors of Dance Bangla Dance.
The 22-week contest will be broken into two parts- creator and viewer. The creator contest will feature about 20 Dance Bangla Dance contestants who will post their videos on HiPi while they continue to participate in the reality show.
The grand winner will be declared from one of the Dance Bangla Dance contestants who will stand a chance to win a cash prize of Rs two lakhs and a three-month contract with HiPi. Meanwhile, in the viewer’s contest, HiPi will select one participant from the UGC entries who can stand the chance of winning weekly cash prizes amounting to Rs two lakhs through the duration of the contest. The winners for both categories will be selected based on their popularity on HiPi.
Commenting on the remarkable announcements, the spokesperson of HiPi, said, “Showcasing our standalone app in the Indian market within one year of our launch is a huge achievement for us. This was an outcome of the overwhelming response and support we received from our users and we want to return the favour through the #EntertainmentKiBaarish. The campaign promises to bring invigorating activities and contests, allowing users to experience the joy of entertainment on their fingertips”.
Apart from the campaign filled with fun and entertainment, HiPi will also launch a contest, allowing users to upload videos showcasing the best of their talent (dance, singing, lip-sync, food, fitness, fashion, beauty, etc). The winners of the contest will get a cash prize of Rs.50,000.
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.
