iWorld
SC grants interim protection to Amazon Prime Video’s Aparna Purohit
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim protection from arrest to Amazon Prime Video's India originals head Aparna Purohit in the FIR registered by Uttar Pradesh police in connection with the web series, Tandav.
The court was hearing Purohit’s appeal challenging the Allahabad high court order which had denied her petition for an anticipatory bail in FIR filed in greater Noida, reported Bar & Bench. The protection was granted subject to the condition that she would cooperate with the investigation.
The top court also observed that the latest guidelines issued by the Centre to regulate the content on the over-the-top (OTT) platforms were insufficient. "We went through the technology intermediary guidelines. But there's no teeth. No power of prosecution. These are just guidelines. No mechanism to control it. Without legislation you cannot control it," the bench noted.
Solicitor general Tushar Mehta informed the court that the government will prepare a draft law and submit it before court for consideration.
Tandav, a nine-episode political thriller on Amazon Prime Video, landed in controversy after some Hindu groups accused the makers of hurting religious sentiments through certain scenes which allegedly mocked Hindu deity Shiva. This led to registering of FIRs in several cities, barely days after it was released on the OTT platform on 15 January. Amidst the furore, director Ali Abbas Zafar has already issued an unconditional apology on social media stating that the makers have utmost respect for the sentiments of the people of our country.
Amazon Prime Video too, on multiple occasions, has apologised to viewers whose sentiments were hurt by certain scenes in the show. Additionally, the objectionable scenes were either removed or edited, the company stated. “Amazon Prime Video again deeply regrets that viewers considered certain scenes to be objectionable in the recently launched fictional series Tandav. This was never our intention, and the scenes that were objected to were removed or edited when they were brought to our attention. We respect our viewers’ diverse beliefs and apologised unconditionally to anyone who felt hurt by these scenes,” the streamer said in a statement.
iWorld
Snapchat parent Snap cuts 16 per cent of workforce in AI-driven restructuring
The Snapchat parent is axing around 1,000 jobs and closing 300 open roles to save $500m, as artificial intelligence makes smaller teams the new normal
CALIFORNIA: Snap is snapping. The Snapchat parent has confirmed plans to cut around 1,000 employees, roughly 16 per cent of its full-time workforce, as it bets that artificial intelligence can do what headcount once required. Shares jumped more than 10 per cent in premarket trading on the news, a brisk vote of confidence from a market that has watched the stock shed about 31 per cent this year.
The restructuring, which also closes more than 300 open roles, follows pressure from activist investor Irenic Capital Management, which holds an economic interest of about 2.5 per cent in the company and has been loudly pushing Snap to tighten its portfolio and lift performance. The firm got what it asked for, and then some.
Chief executive Evan Spiegel told employees the cuts would reduce annualised expenses by more than $500m by the second half of the year. The company expects to incur charges of between $95m and $130m related to the layoffs, mostly severance, with the bulk landing in the second quarter. Staff in Snap’s North America team were asked to work from home on the day of the announcement.
The financial backdrop is not without bright spots. Snap expects first-quarter revenue to rise around 12 per cent to approximately $1.53 billion, broadly in line with analyst estimates. Adjusted core profit for the January to March quarter is forecast at about $233m, comfortably ahead of Wall Street’s expectation of $186.8m.
The harder question surrounds Specs, Snap’s augmented reality smart glasses subsidiary, which Irenic has urged the company to spin off or shut down entirely. The unit has absorbed more than $3.5 billion in investment and burns through approximately $500m in cash annually. Snap is pressing ahead regardless, with a consumer product expected later this year, even as Meta leads the market in the segment.
Spiegel is betting that leaner teams, smarter machines and a consumer AR play can restore Snap’s credibility with investors who have run out of patience. The redundancy notices have gone out. The harder restructuring, the one that requires a hit product rather than a headcount reduction, is still very much pending.
