Kuala Lumpur. Social network TikTok is laying off hundreds of employees across its global workforce, including a large number of staff in Malaysia, the company said on Friday, as it shifts its focus toward greater use of artificial intelligence (AI) in moderation. of contents.
Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that more than 700 jobs had been cut in Malaysia. TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, later clarified that fewer than 500 employees in the country were affected.
The employees, most of whom were involved in the company’s content moderation operations, were informed of their dismissal by email late Wednesday, said the sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the employees. media.
In response to questions from Reuters, TikTok confirmed the layoffs and said several hundred workers were expected to be affected globally as part of a broader plan to improve its moderation operations.
TikTok uses a combination of auto-detection and human moderators to review content posted on the site.
ByteDance has more than 110,000 employees in more than 200 cities around the world, according to the company’s website.
According to one of the sources consulted, the technology company plans to make more staff cuts next month to consolidate some of its regional operations.
“We are making these changes as part of our ongoing efforts to further strengthen our global operating model for content moderation,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.
The company expects to invest $2 billion globally in trust and security this year and will continue to improve efficiency, with 80 percent of content that violates guidelines now removed by automated technologies, the spokesperson said.
The layoffs were first reported on Thursday by business portal The Malaysian Reserve.
The job cuts come as global tech companies face increased regulatory pressure in Malaysia, where the government has asked social media operators to apply for an operating license by January, as part of a effort to combat cybercrime.
At the beginning of the year, Malaysia reported a sharp increase in harmful content on social media and urged companies, including TikTok, to intensify surveillance on their platforms.
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