What We Know About Layoffs at Meta
Welcome back to the weekly review. In this edition, we will explore the recent layoffs at Meta, the repercussions of the clash between WordPress and WP Engine, and...
This week, layoffs have been reported across multiple teams at Meta, where the company stated that these decisions are part of a resource restructuring. Reports indicate that the cuts affected areas such as Reality Labs, Instagram, and WhatsApp, although Meta did not provide specific details about the number of employees laid off or the departments involved.
In the workplace arena, Matt Garman, CEO of AWS, delivered a strong message to remote workers, urging them to return to the office or consider resigning. These statements came after the announcement of an on-site work policy that will require employees to be in the office five days a week. Previously, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy had confirmed a full return to the office starting in 2025, increasing from the three days of in-person work implemented last year.
On the other hand, Waymo made a gesture towards software engineer Sophia Tung, who was involved in a horn-blowing incident caused by autonomous vehicles. As an apology, the company offered her promotional codes for free rides, but Tung attempted to use one of these codes for a 24-hour trip, although her experience was limited to 6.5 hours due to unforeseen circumstances.
In other notable news this week, it was reported that Tesla's Optimus robot, showcased at a recent event, appeared to have been under human control rather than operating autonomously, despite the impressive demonstrations. Additionally, OpenAI has released a preliminary version of a dedicated Windows application for ChatGPT, suggesting that a more complete experience is expected by the end of the year.
Tesla's Cybertruck has generated controversy in Europe due to its excessive design, which transport organizations believe violates safety regulations and could pose a danger to pedestrians and cyclists. In the dispute between WordPress and WP Engine, Automattic revealed its intention to enforce the WordPress trademark through both friendly and unfriendly legal actions.
X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, has updated its privacy policy, allowing third parties to use data from the platform to train artificial intelligence models, unless users choose to opt out. In terms of accessibility, the FCC has established rules mandating that all mobile phones sold in the U.S. must be compatible with hearing aids, a step following the removal of the prescription requirement for obtaining hearing aids.
In the educational sphere, Byju Raveendran, founder of the edtech group Byju’s, admitted to mistakes in managing his company, which has lost significant value since its peak of $22 billion. It was also revealed that Casio has continued to struggle with the effects of a ransomware attack, leaving numerous systems inoperable.
Finally, CapWay, a fintech backed by Y Combinator that aimed to provide financial services to underserved communities, has ceased operations following a potential acquisition that did not materialize. In the realm of mental health, the Manifest app aims to combat loneliness in Generation Z through personalized daily affirmations generated by artificial intelligence.
