iWorld
Prime Video’s upcoming global spy thriller- Citadel, kicks-off its global tour
Mumbai: Prime Video’s upcoming global spy series, Citadel, journeyed to Mumbai for the epic Asia Pacific premiere. Ahead of the grand evening, the lead cast of the series, Richard Madden, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas sat down for a chat and revealed what went into making this spy franchise. Created by Amazon Studios and Russo Brothers’ AGBO, with David Weil serving as showrunner and executive producer, Citadel will premiere exclusively on Prime Video, with two episodes dropping on 28 April, and one episode rolling out weekly through 26 May.
““We are excited to open the first window to the great universe of Citadel, and thrilled that we get to host the Asia Pacific premiere in Mumbai,” said Prime Video VP Asia Pacific Gaurav Gandhi. “Citadel is the beginning of a new, ambitious, landmark franchise—one built on a completely original IP—with interconnected stories that traverse the globe. This is an amazing way to create a really diverse global community of storytellers, and make entertainment truly borderless. The popularity of the genre, the novelty of the concept and the magic of the Russo Brothers, David Weil, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Richard Madden, and everyone else involved with Citadel, gives us confidence that audiences will love this truly global series.”
“Over 75 per cent of Prime Video India’s customers watch international shows and movies in English or local languages on the service. With localisation in Indian languages, over 25 per cent of the total viewing time of international shows and movies is now in local languages. Keeping that in mind, we’ll be releasing Citadel not just in English and Hindi, but also in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam,” said Sushant Sreeram, country director, Prime Video India country director Sushant Sreeram. He added, “With Citadel, we are building an interconnected universe that takes borderless entertainment up a notch. Each Citadel series is locally created, produced, and filmed in-region, and stars top talent, forming a distinct global franchise. We are thrilled to be a part of the global Citadel universe and build this franchise together with an Indian instalment that is currently in production. I am certain that our customers in India will appreciate the scale and ambition that we are trying to bring to storytelling through Citadel.”
Jonas who plays Nadia Sinh said, “When Jennifer Salke, who is the head of Amazon Studios, presented Citadel to me, she wanted to create an international, global franchise – an original IP that truly connects the world. Amazon strongly believes in diversity; and true diversity is represented internationally, not just by having different skin tones, but also by hearing the way people speak, actually delving into the culture. And this show has incredible ability to span across every country and continent. So, I didn’t even know the story and I said yep, doing it.”
Madden who plays Mason Kane shared, “Citadel has been incredibly physically demanding. But I think that’s what really is dreamy. It’s not simply a gun show or a fight sequence. This is how these two characters interact physically, and how they dance together. We learn in each action sequence a little more about the two of them. Just like in the drama scenes, the stakes are so high because of the adrenaline of what’s going on. The show just works both in the drama and action sequences.”
Citadel is executive produced by the Russo Brothers’ AGBO and showrunner David Weil. Alongside Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden, the six episode series features Stanley Tucci and Lesley Manville in pivotal roles. This thrilling spy series, that takes viewers around the world, will premiere exclusively on Prime Video starting 28 April with two episodes and then one episode rolling out weekly through 26 May. The global series will stream across 240 countries and territories in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and other international languages.
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.
