TikTok Layoffs | ByteDance cuts hundreds of jobs globally as platform shifts to AI moderation: Report

TikTok has announced plans to cut hundreds of jobs globally as it shifts to AI-assisted content moderation. A significant portion of these layoffs will affect employees in Malaysia, with fewer than 500 expected to lose their jobs. 

The move comes as the platform seeks to enhance its moderation efforts, combining human and automated systems to review content, as per a report by AFP.

A TikTok spokesperson confirmed that the restructuring is part of a broader plan to boost content moderation efficiency. “We expect to invest $2 billion globally in trust and safety in 2024 alone and are continuing to improve the efficacy of our efforts, with 80% of violative content now removed by automated technologies,” the spokesperson said, as quoted by AFP.

The job cuts follow months of speculation about TikTok‘s plans to downsize its global operations, particularly in its marketing and content moderation departments. 

According to the company’s website, ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, employs over 1,10,000 people across more than 200 cities globally, the report added.

TikTok other challenges

The layoffs coincide with increased regulatory pressure in Malaysia, where the government has asked social media platforms to apply for operating licenses to curb rising cybercrime. 

Malaysia has experienced a surge in malicious online content, prompting authorities to take action against online fraud, cyberbullying, and other forms of cybercrime, as per the report.

In another development, TikTok is facing legal challenges in the U.S. A lawsuit filed by the state of Kentucky, along with complaints from a dozen other states and the District of Columbia, alleges that TikTok’s design features harm young users. 

According to the lawsuit, internal communications reveal that TikTok was aware its tools to limit screen time were largely ineffective.

The lawsuit also accuses TikTok of misleading the public about its content moderation practices and prioritizing “beautiful people” in its algorithms. TikTok has denied these claims, calling the lawsuit misleading. 

“We have robust safeguards, which include proactively removing suspected underage users,” TikTok spokesperson Alex Haurek said, defending the company’s commitment to community safety, as per the report.

(With Inputs from AFP)