TikTok announces global layoffs as it shifts focus to AI-powered content moderation

TikTok is set to lay off hundreds of employees worldwide, including a significant number in Malaysia, as part of its broader plan to enhance its content moderation operations through artificial intelligence (AI).

The social media giant, owned by China’s ByteDance, confirmed the layoffs on Friday, following earlier reports that more than 700 jobs had been cut in Malaysia. However, TikTok clarified that fewer than 500 employees in the country were affected. Most of the redundancies stem from the company’s content moderation teams, which were informed of their termination via email late last Wednesday.