iWorld
Vertigo TV gets viewers giddy with global micro & vertical dramas
MUMBAI: Vertigo TV, the newly launched vertical drama app from One Take Media, is off to a flying start—grabbing eyeballs with its snackable, binge-worthy content that’s tailor-made for the smartphone generation.
In just three months, Vertigo TV has packed in over 100 shows, offering a dizzying mix of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, English, and Hindi micro-dramas. Each series unfolds in ultra-short, one-to-two-minute episodes, with entire story arcs wrapped up in 40 to 60 instalments—perfect for on-the-go binge sessions.
“The app of today,” as founder and CEO Anil Khera calls it, Vertigo TV mirrors a fast-twitch attention economy where Gen Z and millennials crave instant storytelling hits without the drag. Every drama is shot vertically, optimised for quick breaks, commutes, or those between-meeting scrolls.
Built to hook viewers within 10 seconds, the app’s catalogue pairs high-octane plots with slick production values and a global-meets-local flavour. Subtitled international dramas sit alongside desi originals, giving Indian audiences a front-row seat to the world’s fastest-growing storytelling trend.
Priced at Rs 499 a year, Vertigo TV is now live on Android and iOS, and ready to rattle India’s crowded streaming scene. With its bold micro-drama format and lightning pace, One Take Media isn’t just chasing attention—it’s rewriting how India watches stories, one vertical at a time.
For partnerships, email info@onetakemedia.in or visit www.onetakemedia.in
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.
