iWorld
Virgin Music & Hungama partner to expand global music distribution
Mumbai: The global independent music, Virgin Music Group has joined forces with Hungama Digital Media, South Asia’s digital entertainment giant, in a groundbreaking alliance. This strategic partnership will amplify Hungama’s diverse music catalogue, featuring SVF, Grassroute, OTV, and iconic film soundtracks, to a worldwide audience through Virgin Music Group’s unparalleled distribution network.
As per the press release, Virgin Music Group will tap Hungama’s substantial user base and regional expertise, deepen its presence in India’s regional music scene, and offer both companies a unique opportunity to leverage their strengths and deliver exceptional experiences to music fans worldwide.
Virgin Music Group country manager of India Amit Sharma said, “We are immensely proud to announce this important partnership with Hungama. This collaboration will expand our reach in India and enable their songs to reach new global audiences, supporting our commitment to artist empowerment and innovation. Through this venture, we aim to bring a diverse range of music to new audiences, while Hungama’s expansive network will enable us to unlock incredible new opportunities for our artists.”
Hungama Digital Media Entertainment CEO Siddhartha Roy said, “Our partnership with Virgin Music Group marks a significant milestone in taking Indian regional music to global audiences. By tapping into Virgin’s extensive network, we’re providing our artists and labels with unparalleled exposure, helping them reach new markets and unlock fresh growth opportunities. It’s an exciting time for Indian music, and we’re proud to lead this global expansion.”
The collaboration between Virgin Music Group and Hungama Digital Media brings forth opportunities which would showcase undiscovered music to global audiences as well as the expansion of the channels of distribution and enhance the way music is consumed while working towards creating impact for Indian music culture in the global music landscape.
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.
