iWorld
This Mother’s Day, Great Learning helps women reboot their career
New Delhi: In a bid to encourage mothers to re-start their careers and return to work, ed-tech company Great Learning has rolled out the second edition of the #HerFreshStart campaign, this Mother’s Day.
As a part of this initiative, the company will offer a scholarship of up to 50 per cent to selected mothers who can enroll in the choice of career-critical programs like data science, business analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, software engineering for data science, blockchain, IoT, management and digital marketing.
According to a report by KPMG, 58 per cent women feel less confident about returning to work post-pregnancy. The initiative aims to help such mothers on a career break by enabling them to regain confidence in their professional abilities through upskilling, said the company in a statement.
Great Learning is inviting people to nominate mothers in their circle to comment on their posts on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with #HerFreshStart and tag Great Learning. The nominees can submit their form with a Statement of Purpose (SOP) with a brief introduction of their background and why they believe they deserve the scholarship. The nominations can be sent between 6 May and 10 May by visiting Great Learning’s social media channels – Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Mothers can also self-nominate themselves.
“As a working mother myself, I am well versed with the challenges and responsibilities of wearing two hats. While motherhood is a journey, so is one’s career. At Great Learning, one of our many endeavors is to enable new moms to take charge of their career and continue to achieve greater heights professionally,” said Great Learning chief marketing officer Aparna Mahesh. “Through this campaign, we aim to do just that by providing an opportunity for mothers to resume their career by helping them hone their skills. Upskilling will enable mothers who are looking at re-starting their career as opportunities continue to open up in various fields.”
The first edition of the #HerFreshStart campaign was launched last year amidst the onset of the pandemic and received applications from over 200 mothers out of which five mothers were provided scholarships.
iWorld
Netflix cuts jobs in product division amid restructuring
Layoffs hit creative studio unit as leadership and strategy shifts unfold.
MUMBAI: The streaming wars may be fought on screen, but the latest plot twist is unfolding behind the scenes. Netflix has reportedly begun laying off several dozen employees from its product division as part of an internal reorganisation, according to a report by Variety. The cuts are believed to have primarily affected the company’s creative studio unit, which works on marketing assets such as in app trailers, promotional visuals and live experience content for the streaming platform.
The company has not disclosed the exact number of employees impacted.
According to the report, the layoffs were not tied to employee performance. Instead, the restructuring eliminated certain roles while other employees were reassigned to different teams within the organisation.
The roles affected are understood to include designers, producers and creative specialists responsible for marketing and brand experience initiatives.
The job cuts come as Netflix adjusts its leadership structure and reshapes its product and creative teams. Last month, Elizabeth Stone was promoted from chief technology officer to chief product and technology officer, giving her oversight of product, engineering and data operations across the company.
Earlier, in December 2025, Netflix also appointed Martin Rose as head of creative for global brand and partnerships, a move seen as part of a broader restructuring of the company’s brand and product functions.
Despite the layoffs, Netflix remains one of the largest employers in the streaming sector. The company is estimated to employ around 16,000 people globally, with roughly 70 percent of its workforce based in the United States and Canada. In 2023, the company reported approximately 13,000 employees, indicating that its headcount had grown significantly before the latest restructuring.
The workforce changes arrive at a time when Netflix is navigating a shifting financial and strategic landscape in the global entertainment industry.
The streaming giant recently secured $2.8 billion in additional cash after receiving a breakup fee from Paramount Skydance following its withdrawal from a deal involving Warner Bros. Discovery.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Netflix co chief executive Ted Sarandos explained that the company had evaluated multiple scenarios during the negotiations but chose not to match the competing offer once it learned that a higher bid had been submitted.
Netflix had capped its offer at $27.75 per share and ultimately stepped back rather than pursue Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition deal, which included a personal guarantee.
Sarandos also cautioned that the financing structure behind the Paramount Skydance transaction could have ripple effects across the entertainment industry.
According to him, the debt heavy deal could trigger significant cost cutting, with David Ellison, chief executive of Paramount Skydance, expected to eliminate about $16 billion in costs and potentially cut thousands of jobs as part of the integration process.
For Netflix, the current restructuring appears to be part of a broader attempt to streamline operations while continuing to invest in product, technology and global content even as the streaming industry enters a new phase of consolidation and financial discipline.
