KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 (Askume) – China’s Bytedance, the parent company of social media platform TikTok, has laid off more than 700 staff at its Malaysian unit as it focuses on greater use of artificial intelligence in content moderation, sources revealed.
The employees, most of whom were involved in the company’s content moderation function, were informed of the layoffs via email late Wednesday, the sources said. They requested anonymity as they are not permitted to speak to the media.
TikTok confirmed the layoffs on Friday in response to a Askume query, but said it could not provide the exact number of affected staff in Malaysia.
It is estimated that hundreds of people will be affected worldwide as part of a wider plan to improve its moderation operations. TikTok uses a combination of automated detection and manual review 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.
The technology company plans more layoffs next month as it consolidates some regional operations, one source said.
“We’re 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.
A spokesperson said the company expects to invest $2 billion in trust and safety globally this year and continue to improve efficiency, as 80% of content violating guidelines is now removed by automated technology.
The news of the layoffs was first reported by business portal Reserve Bank of Malaysia on Thursday.
The layoffs come as global technology companies face growing regulatory pressure in Malaysia, where the government requires social media operators toApply for an operating license to fight cybercrime .
Malaysia reported a sharp rise in harmful social media content earlier this year and urged companies including TikTok to increase monitoring of their platforms.
