iWorld
Pocket FM coughs up the most powerful audio story with ‘The Coughing Episode’
Mumbai: This World No Tobacco Day, audio series platform Pocket FM took a creative approach to raise awareness about the adverse effects of smoking with ‘The Coughing Episode’. The thought-provoking campaign on its social media pages was driven by a unique audio twist to encourage Pocket FM’s community to consider a tobacco-free lifestyle.
Pocket FM’s social media channels such as Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube buzzed with a special 71-second episode. In this special episode, a narrator experienced a persistent cough – a common consequence of smoking. However, the episode soon turned into a powerful message about the harmful effects of smoking, encouraging listeners to lead a tobacco-free life.
Complementing the online efforts, Pocket FM aired a multi-city public service announcement across radio stations like Fever FM and Radio One. The public service announcement used humour to connect the dots between smoking and a raspy voice, urging listeners to take the pledge to quit smoking, reminding everyone that a healthy lifestyle is the real soundtrack of a great life.
Pocket FM head – branding & communications Vineet Singh said, “Audio is one of the most powerful tools, whether entertainment or education. At Pocket FM, we are using this power to shed light on the serious health hazards of tobacco. By creatively integrating a surprise element in our content, we want to engage our listeners while inspiring them to make healthier choices. This World No Tobacco Day, let’s all take a moment to pledge to stay tobacco-free and support a healthier future.”
As part of this initiative, Pocket FM is encouraging everyone to join the conversation and spread the word via Pocket FM’s World No Tobacco Day content with using the hashtags #WorldNoTobaccoDay and #PocketFM.
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.
