Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — TikTok has reportedly lays off 500 employees from its global workforce, mainly in Malaysia, most of whom were involved in content moderation operations. According to Reuters, the layoffs come as the company increasingly turns to artificial intelligence (AI) to manage its platform’s content.
While TikTok confirmed the layoffs, the company stated that the number of affected workers was under 500. In addition to the cuts in Malaysia, TikTok is also expected to lays off hundreds of employees worldwide in the coming months, according to sources familiar with the matter. Employees who were impacted by the cuts reportedly received notification via email on Wednesday, October 9.
The decision to downsize is linked to TikTok’s growing reliance on AI for content moderation, a key area for the platform as it balances human oversight with automated content detection systems.
“We are making these changes as part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen our global operational model in content moderation,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement, as reported by Reuters on Saturday, October 12.
Sources suggest that additional layoffs are planned for the coming month as TikTok consolidates several of its regional operations. The company, a subsidiary of Chinese tech giant ByteDance, is also set to invest $2 billion globally this year in initiatives aimed at enhancing trust and safety on its platform.
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Meanwhile, TikTok laying off employees in Malaysia are believed to be partly driven by increased regulatory pressure from the government. Authorities there now require social media companies to apply for operating licenses, a rule that came into effect in January. The government aims to use the registration process as part of its broader efforts to combat online violations and bolster internet safety.
Social media monitoring has been ramped up in Malaysia following reports of a sharp rise in harmful content on platforms throughout 2024. The new regulations are seen as part of a larger push to hold tech companies accountable for the content circulating on their platforms.
(Raidi/Agung)
