The exact number of employees being let go has not been specified. The tech giant has stated that this new round of layoffs was due to the company’s change in ‘long-term strategic goals’ as well as ‘location strategy’. The company further stated that it will also be moving some divisions and employees to other locations and roles. The employees affected by this company strategy include WhatsApp, Instagram, and Reality Labs.

Those affected by the layoffs have taken to social media websites like X to disclose that they had been let go. According to reports, employees belonging to Facebook’s legal operations, recruiting division and design division have been laid off. On the other hand, some reports have stated that Threads’ legal operations and recruiting division have not been affected. A former employee at Meta stated that severance packages were offered to the employees if they chose not to take on the new positions as appointed by Meta.

Meta Layoffs: More on this new wave of layoffs

Some rumours have begun spreading about the reasons for the new wave of layoffs. According to a report, some of the workers had been fired as they used the $25 meal credits to purchase household items instead of food.

The tech industry is no stranger to job layoffs. There seem to be major tech layoffs happening every month or so. Meta has infamously laid off 11,000 employees in 2022 alone. Later in 2023, the leading tech company announced a layoff affecting more than 10,000 jobs as part of Mark Zuckerberg’s new strategy.

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Image Credits: Photo by Dima Solomin on Unsplash

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Zuckerberg has amassed over $206.2 billion as his net worth which surpasses Bezos’ $205.1 billion net worth. The Meta CEO has grown his net worth up to $78 billion since 2024 started. Furthermore, this growth is significantly higher than any of the members in the 500 richest people list from the Bloomberg Index. It has also been reported that he has a 13% stake in his own Meta company.

Just recently, Meta’s shares came up to $582.77 which is a company record. The shares indicate a 68% increase from the beginning of the year. Meta’s shares at the start of January were estimated to be $346.29. So this jump in shares is impressive as it also contributed to Zuckerberg climbing the ladder to the top.

Mark Zuckerberg Becomes Second Richest Man: More on his claim to the top

As Mark Zuckerberg becomes the second richest man in the world, Meta parallels his success with its high profits. Meta has stated that the company’s second-quarter sales rose to $39.07, which is a 22% increase in sales. The leading tech giant has credited its investments in AI helping its online advertising performance as one of the main reasons for its increase in sales. Meta has been investing billions upon billions in VR and AR technologies to build their metaverse concept.

However, a grim side to Meta’s success resides in the form of 21,000 Meta employees losing their jobs. This major company layoff started in 2022 and it also went into 2023 as well. The layoffs were due to the company devising a huge budget plan. Unfortunately, as job layoffs are quite common in the tech industry, Meta may bring about a future wave of layoffs.

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The Meta-owned platform will be introducing new features in the Facebook revamp. With the new update, users will be able to build connections with the local communities through the Local tab. This new tab will be bringing only the very best of local content on Facebook. The content will be taken from Marketplace, Events, and Groups and tabbed together in Local. A new Weekly and Weekend Digest for Events will also be coming in the new update. Users will also be able to swipe across the best Facebook content in a new section in their feed.

Facebook is also testing out the Explore tab which brings users content catered to their interests. This feature will allow users to fully explore their interests. A Video tab is also incoming which provides users with a full-screen video experience to watch Reels and other long and short-form videos.

Facebook Revamp: More features in the works

The social media giant has just released a new feature which enables users to invite their followers from Instagram to Facebook events. Besides this, Facebook will also be bringing a Group AI which will help group members to get answers to queries, especially those that have already been asked.

Facebook is also playing matchmaker with its new Facebook Dating feature which lets users find a romantic connection. Potential love interests will be based on the user’s interests. The feature called Matchmaker also lets users invite their friends to help them with finding true love.

Messenger Communities have also been introduced. This feature lets users create chats based on topics to better manage conversations with the Messenger Community as a whole. New connections can be made through this feature and it is especially useful for college students. Other features such as Memories and new functionalities for Notes in Messenger have also been announced.

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Threads Cross-Posting From Facebook And Instagram Launched

Facebook and Instagram will now label AI-generated images and videos

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This function, available on both Android and iOS, is among Meta’s efforts to create an interconnected web of apps. It aims to give content posted on various Meta apps more exposure. The tech giant made this cross-posting function available for a couple of years for Facebook and Instagram.

Threads Cross-Posting: How to use this function

The new cross-posting function aims to make the process of posting on numerous social media platforms much easier and simpler. This is particularly useful for social media managers, content creators or just about anyone who wants to push their content out to more people. It lets users post the same content on different platforms simultaneously.

To use this new feature on Facebook, users first have to prepare a post as usual. Located right above the text box, users will see the Threads logo. Users will then have to enable Threads cross-posting through the box.

Similarly to Facebook’s cross-posting process, Instagram users have to prepare a post as per usual. They will then have to choose a photo and tap on the ‘Next’ option. After selecting the photos, users will have to go to the ‘Share’ page which contains the Advanced settings. Under the Advanced settings, users can click on Automatic sharing which allows cross-posting for either Facebook or Threads.

It should be noted that users will not be able to cross-post videos or Reels as the function is only limited to text posts and photos as of now.

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This new release by Meta does not require technical skills as the company states that anyone can create their custom AI. Users can access the new tool on Instagram or directly through ai.meta.com/ai-studio.

AI Studio and What It Does

Creators can create the AI for a variety of purposes. For instance, creators can create an AI to create memes, make recipes, build food recipes, and just about anything. The AI can be as personalised as the creators want it to be. The chatbot can even shared with other people and made available on Meta-owned apps such as Instagram, WhatsApp, web and Messenger.

This newly released AI tool also aims to help Instagram creators with expanding their reach. Instagram creators can set up an AI of themselves to engage with their followers. These creatives can customise the AI according to their interests and other input they have fed the AI. Additionally, Instagram creators can manage which links and topics are to be avoided. Users are also given the option to switch off the auto-replies.

These AI chatbots enable a creator’s follower to ask the AI questions or interact with them as though the AI was the creator itself. Therefore, this AI tool could improve and increase engagement. Meta has also put in place several protective policies to ensure that AI chatbots are used ethically.

Meta also aims to expand AI Studio to apply to businesses for customer service purposes.

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This AI assistant utilises Bing and Google searches to fetch results. Meta AI is powered by Llama 3 large language models (LLM) which recently saw its release in April this year. Countries such as New Zealand, Australia and Canada saw the release of Meta AI a short while after the new AI mode’s launch.

Meta AI launch in India and possible reason for its delay

It has been speculated that the Lok Sabha elections 2024 held back the release of the AI chatbot, but there is no concrete reason why Meta AI’s release was delayed in India.

To access Meta AI, users have to click on the bluish-pinkish ring in the search bar of an app owned by Meta. On tapping the ring, users will be transported to a different chat where they can converse with the AI. Meta AI works similarly with other AI chatbots like Google’s Gemini, OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot.

Facebook posts will also contain the Ask Meta AI icon. Users can also use this AI assistant to get more information about the post’s content. Instagram users can be suggested Reels and posts based on the user’s viewing activity. Additionally, messaging groups in WhatsApp can utilise Meta AI when they type in @MetaAI.

AI Assistants have been all the craze as of late. It creates convenience and accessibility to information. Users can use the AI chatbox to converse, ask questions of any nature and even generate images and GIFs. 

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Meta’s Anti-Scam Union Announced.

Meta AI Editing Tools Set To Enhance Facebook and Instagram Experiences.

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Meta’s Anti-Scam Union was declared on Tuesday, May 21, the Customers Against Scams union will show as an arranging body between the networks of tech companies to “work together on techniques to take a stand against the apps used by scammers, aware, and protect consumers, and interrupt fast-growing financial scams.” Members consist of Meta, Match Group, Ripple, Gemini, Coinbase, and Kraken. They are connected by the Worldwide Anti-scam association.

A February 2024 review by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found that American people lost more than $10 billion to scams last year – the greatest number reviewed by the FTC still. Customers stated losing more than $4.6 billion to investment fraud, predominately through cryptocurrency scams and online bank transfers. Fraud scams were yet the number one technique used by frauds to trap and target individuals. Now, read on to know how to watch out for scammers via Dating.

How Can I watch Out for Scams while using Facebook Dating App?

There are several people globally who use Facebook dating apps to date anyone online through Facebook. But now many scammers trap you easily. So you should care about all the signs of scammers. Generally, scammers may try to use compromised or fake accounts to trap you into providing them with personal details or money. If you have a text message that you believe is a scam, immediately report the person to Facebook despite replying.

Warning Signs of Scammer When Using Facebook Dating App

• Needs to run off Facebook dating quickly and use messaging apps to chat or a private email ID.
• Say to be in love very fast to influence you to talk with them.
• Make plans to visit, but say that something terrible happened and then cancel the plans.
• Asks you to give money or send gifts or gift cards.

Scammers normally ask for money by making excuses like medical emergencies, hospital bills, cover travel, visas, etc. Just remember that any kind of online love interest that asks for money is possibly a scammer.

Samuel Levine, who is the Consumer Protection Director of the FTC Bureau, wrote in the report’s release, “Digital apps are making it simpler than ever to target Americans who work hard.”

Wrapping Up Meta’s Anti-Scam Union Announced

Read this post carefully and know all the anti-scam coalition announced by Meta, Match Group, Facebook dating, etc. Also aware of all the warning signs of scammers to stay safe from any type of scam or fraud.

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Fake AI-generated content

Fake AI-generated content refers to media, text, images, or videos created by artificial intelligence(AI) systems. AI-generated content can be highly convincing from realistic images to human writing styles, voice, etc. AI-generated content brings up big challenges in discerning truth from false in the digital world.

President Joe Biden on Deepfakes

Recently President Joe Biden and many political figures were found as victims of the deep fake technology. In a recent interview, President Biden addressed the AI-generated content to be crazy and for communications organizations to do something to label them.

Not only so it was found that very recently a fake robocall with someone using President Joe Biden’s voice has been calling citizens and asking them not to vote.

Meta to label AI-generated content

With the recent Senate hearing in mind, Meta revealed plans to create AI-detecting tools. It will trace and add watermarks on all AI-generated images, videos, etc. so that users can differentiate between AI-generated content. Meta is also adding features where users might be asked to disclose when they share an AI-generated Image or Video so that Meta can label them. They might also apply penalties if failed to do so.

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On Wednesday, Jan 31st, Tech CEOs Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Linda Yaccarino (X/Twitter), Evan Spiegel (Snapchat), and Shou Zi Chew (Tik Tok), Jason Citron (Discord) testified before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on online child sexual exploitation, child suicide rates and illegal drugs work.

The hearings touched on a variety of issues, ranging from human trafficking to concerns about Communist China and various political topics. The Judiciary members made sure that the Tech leaders could understand the responsibility they had on their shoulders.

Mr. Zuckerberg, you and the companies before us, I know you don’t mean it to be so, but you have blood on your hands.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham

The Committee hearing started with Senior Senator Mr Durbin addressing all the present witnesses followed by a video made by the victims of social media abuse, many of whom were present in the US Capitol. After having the judicial oath done the Tech CEOs were given time for their respective open statements. After this world witnessed one of the most brutal Senate hearings.

Opening Statements from the CEOs

Jason Citron CEO of Discord acknowledged the responsibility Discord had due to its young user base and described safety measures like CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material) detection, reporting tools, and age-gating.

Mark Zuckerberg CEO of Meta spoke of Meta’s investments in safety, content moderation, and partnerships with law enforcement. He denied claims of a causal link between social media and mental health harm.

Mental health is a complex issue and the existing body of scientific work has not shown a causal link between social media and young people having worse mental health problems.

Mark Zuckerberg

(His statement was met with skepticism and interruptions from the audience.)

Evan Spiegel CEO of Snapchat described Snapchat’s focus on short content and proactive safety features like age verification and reporting mechanisms. He admitted challenges in detecting and removing CSAM.

X’s Linda Yaccarino shared her concern about CSAM and X‘s commitment to Child Safety

Shou Zi Chew CEO of Tik Tok spoke of realising the responsibility of running a billion users platform. He shared some major concerns over child exploitation, CSAM, and mental health.

The Judiciary Committee

The judiciary committee consisted of members from the republicans and the democrat. Each committee member was given time to question the CEOs, there were a few who made the headlines.

Mr Hawley and Mark Zuckerberg CEO of Meta

Mr Hawley’s interrogation came in with a thrashing pound on Mark the CEO of Meta, asking him of his opening statement. Hawley’s interrogation further went down so brutally and he made Zuckerberg stand up and apologize to the whole crowd full of parents.

Mr. Cruz and the CEOs

Mr Cruz talked about the child exploitation found on platforms like Facebook (now Meta), and Instagram. He accused Chew CEO, of Tik Tok for having leaked national data to the Chinese government.

Mr Cotton and Chew CEO of TikTok

Mr Cotton brutally questioned Shou Zi Chew about his nationality and his connections with the Chinese Communist Party.

Although all the top CEOs of modern-day technology were present, more pressure and focus were put on Mark Zuckerberg and Shou Zi Chew.

Know more about the Senate hearing

Takeaway

This senate hearing on child online safety held at the US Capitol gives us a moment to look back and question the modern advancement of technology. We use the internet for various purposes, but is it a safe space though?

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Meta is introducing fresh Meta AI editing tools for Facebook and Instagram, enabling users to edit photos and craft “high-quality videos” using text descriptions. Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, revealed two new features leveraging Emu—the company’s foundational model for image generation. 

The first, “Emu Edit,” empowers users to modify images precisely based on text inputs. This functionality, demonstrated in a video, resembles tools offered by Adobe, Google, and Canva. It provides an accessible way for users to edit and manipulate photos, remove or replace objects, and people without requiring professional image editing skills.

All you need to know about Meta AI editing tools

What’s crazy is you don’t have to pick the part of the pic you want to tweak. Just type in something like “turn the dog into a panda,” and Emu Edit figures out the dog independently. Plus, according to Meta, these Meta AI editing tools are smart enough to only mess with what you ask for—like adding text to a baseball cap without messing up the whole cap design.

Emu Video – Another AI-powered tool of Meta

Meta’s got another tool in the works called “Emu Video.” It can whip up videos based on text prompts, reference images, or both. The results might not be realistic, but they seem like a step up from last year’s Make-A-Video system animations.

No word yet on when these cool editing tricks will hit Facebook or Instagram. We’re waiting on Meta Tag for more info and will spill the beans if they spill theirs.

Adding AI-based image editing to Facebook and Instagram sounds like a no-brainer for Meta. Sure, there are other tools like Google Photos Magic Editor and Adobe’s generative Fill, but having it built-in makes life easier for Insta and Facebook buffs—no need to bounce around different apps.

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