Tag: méta

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Meta reducing its workforce by 13 percent

Mark Zuckerberg is laying off more than 11,000 Meta employees worldwide.

Meta operates Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and the move will reduce the company’s workforce by 13 percent.

Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief, shared the figures in a message to employees. He revealed the company will also continue its hiring freeze through the first quarter of 2023.

“I want to take accountability for these decisions and for how we got here. I know this is tough for everyone, and I’m especially sorry to those impacted,” Zuckerberg said.

The layoffs stem from the company’s move to “significantly increase” its investment during COVID when the world was moving online. Zuckerberg said he, like many others, believed this to be the new norm.

“I got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that,” Zuckerberg wrote. Multiple other companies have found themselves in a similar situation, including Shopify.

Impacted employees will be notified through their emails, mimicking Elon Musk’s recent layoff actions at Twitter.

Meta will focus their resources on other areas, including the AI discovery engine and the metaverse, an area that the company has lost money on. According to The Verge, the company lost $9.4 billion on metaverse technology this year alone.

Impacted employees will receive a severance of 16 weeks of pay and two additional weeks for every year they’ve been at the company. It’s not clear if their severance will include a cut of the Metaverse, but as the way things currently stand, let’s hope that’s not the case.

Image credit: Shutterstock 

Source: Meta

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Mobile Syrup

Meta reported to begin layoffs this week, ‘thousands of employees’ to be affected

Sources close to Meta are indicating that the company intends to begin large-scale layoffs this week, in what could be the “largest round” of job cuts in the tech sector, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The publication’s report states that an announcement regarding the layoffs could come as soon as Wednesday, and that “many thousands of employees” would be affected.

As of September, the company reported employing a total of 87,000 people across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Officials at Meta have already asked employees to cancel all nonessential travel beginning this week, according to unnamed sources.

Amid its crashing stock, and Meta burning its cash reserve to chase the metaverse dream, CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently stated in Meta’s third-quarter earnings that the company would “focus our investments on a small number of high-priority growth areas.”

“So that means some teams will grow meaningfully, but most other teams will stay flat or shrink over the next year,” said Zuckerberg. “In aggregate, we expect to end 2023 as either roughly the same size, or even a slightly smaller organization than we are today.”

Meta expanded in an unsustainable manner during the pandemic. It hired over 27,000 employees in 2020 and 2021, and 15,344 in 2022. That’s more than 42,000 new employees over the course of three years, many of whom would now be laid off to bring the company’s spending back to a sustainable level.

This comes soon after Twitter announced it will cut half of its workforce under its new leader Elon Musk.

Read the full Wall Street Journal report here.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Wall Street Journal

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Mobile Syrup

Instagram outage causes millions of accounts to be incorrectly listed as suspended

An Instagram outage that occurred this morning resulted in millions of accounts being incorrectly listed as suspended.

“we suspended your account on October 31, 2022,” is the message many users received this morning. The problem seems to be affected both iPhone and Android users, with some reports stating that the app continuously crashed.

On Twitter, Instagram tweeted that it’s “aware that some of you are having issues accessing your Instagram account. We’re looking into it and apologize for the inconvenience.”

However, the situation appears to be slowly being resolved. Some users have been able to access their Instagram accounts again, and Down Detector indicates a drop in outage reports starting at roughly 12pm ET/9am PT.

For what it’s worth, my Instagram account seems to still be working fine. No one on the MobileSyrup team has run into problems either.

This story will be updated when Meta-owned Instagram is fully back online. Have you run into issues using Instagram today? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: @InstagramComms

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Mobile Syrup

Meta says it might block Canadians from sharing news stories on Facebook if Bill C-18 becomes law

METAVERSE META FACEBOOK. Silhouette of smartphone with Facebook, Messenger, whatsApp, Instagram, Oculus apps and blurred META logo on background. Rebrand of Facebook. Stafford, UK, October 28, 2021

Meta says the Liberal government’s pending Online News Act “misrepresents” the connection between platforms like itself and news publishers.

The federal government introduced Bill C-18 in April. It subjects digital platforms to pay news outlets to share their articles.

In a blog post, Facebook’s parent company Meta says current assumptions that Meta “unfairly benefits from its relationship with publishers” is untrue.

“We have repeatedly shared with the government that news content is not a draw for our users and is not a significant source of revenue for our company.”

Meta says they don’t scrape content or links related to news content. Less than three percent of what people see on their feeds is related to news articles. In turn, the company claims they help publishers who share links from their websites. This allows the content to reach a wider audience and leads to more readership, subscription sales, and advertising.

The company further says that if the bill becomes law, they might reconsider allowing Canadians to share news on Facebook. The act will force Meta to pay for news that publishers voluntarily add to the platform.

“We are being asked to acquiesce to a system that lets publishers charge us for as much content as they want to supply at a price with no clear limits,” Meta says. “No business can operate this way.”

The company says it was “surprised” not to be invited to participate in the study for the Online News Act and is urging the government to reconsider the bill.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Meta

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Mobile Syrup

Xbox Cloud Gaming is coming to Meta Quest 2

At the October 11th Meta Connect conference, Microsoft announced a partnership with Meta to bring its Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) to the Meta Quest 2 VR headset.

By connecting an Xbox Wireless Controller, you’ll be able to play the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate library from your headset. While the games won’t be playable in VR, of course, the headset will create a large 2D screen through which you can view them, not unlike your own little theatre.

Meta and Microsoft did not confirm a release date, though. Xbox Cloud Gaming is currently available on Xbox consoles, PC, Android and iOS and select smart TVs as part of a $16.99 CAD/month Game Pass Ultimate subscription.

Other announcements at Meta Connect include Meta’s acquisition of Marvel’s Iron Man VR developer Camouflaj (and bringing the superhero game to Meta Quest 2), a November 10th launch date for Among Us VR and a new trailer plus December release window for The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners — Chapter 2: Retribution.

Source: Meta

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Mobile Syrup

Apple CEO Tim Cook skeptical of metaverse, believes consumers struggle to define it

While many companies are investing in the metaverse, Apple CEO Tim Cook believes it’s a subject that raises skepticism.

Cook recently sat down for an interview with Dutch outlet Bright. During the discussion, Apple’s CEO suggests that although there are heavy investments in the metaverse by various companies, there’s room for pessimism. Cook believes the average consumers struggle to define what the metaverse is and believe many would struggle to spend longer periods inside of it.

“I always think it’s important that people understand what something is,” Cook said during the interview. “I always think it’s important that people understand what something is.” Additionally, Cook also discussed his beliefs about VR and the readiness the average consumer has to sit with a headset on. “[VR is] something you can really immerse yourself in,” Cook said. “And that can be used in a good way. But I don’t think you want to live your whole life that way. VR is for set periods, but not a way to communicate well.”

Cook’s comments come at an interesting time as Apple is reportedly developing a mixed reality headset. While there haven’t been official comments from Cook or other executives, the tech giant appears to have its own goals and investments within the AR/VR space.

Meanwhile, other major tech companies are doubling down on the metaverse. For example, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes so strongly in the concept that Facebook changes its name to Meta. The company is currently investing billions in the metaverse and is even partnering with luxury brands to produce digital goods.

While Apple’s AR/VR headset is expected to be announced in early 2023, there’s very little info on what sort of accompanying software the company is working on. Based on reports, Apple’s mixed reality headset may feature dual 4K screens and multiple 3D sensors. Reports claim the headset utilizes Apple’s M1 or M2 chip. The company looks to position it as a premium product within a $3,000 USD (roughly $3,736 CAD) price range.

Source: Bright Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Meta resolves bug that shared celebrity posts across Facebook feeds

Meta says it has resolved an issue that filled users’ Facebook feeds with posts from celebrity accounts.

According to The Verge, the main News Feed was “flooded with minor posts sent to pages for artists.” Some pages were dedicated to Lady Gaga, Nirvana, and The Beatles.

“Earlier today, a configuration change caused some people to have trouble with their Facebook Feed,” Alexandru Voica, a Meta spokesperson, posted on Twitter.

The problem seems to have started at 2am ET, and only lasted a couple of hours before it was resolved.

But the carnage was done. The Verge reports users were quick to take action, sending memes to the celebrity pages knowing they’ll be shared. Donation links through PayPal and cryptocurrency projects were also promoted.

Source: The Verge, Meta

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Mobile Syrup

Meta adds new features to Instagram and Facebook Reels

Meta has introduced several new features for Reels on Facebook and Instagram to help creators share their content to a wider audience.

The ‘Add Yours’ sticker lets users join or start trends. Facebook and Instagram compile all the different types of Reels with specific ‘Add Yours’ prompts to separate pages.

The top of the page will mention the username of the account that started that specific sticker. Meta initially launched the ‘Add Yours’ feature on stories.

Users can now also cross-post Reels from Instagram to Facebook and auto-create Reels on Facebook with previously shared Facebook stories. Eligible creators can also earn money through Facebook Stars by sharing monetized Reels on Facebook. According to Meta’s website, viewers purchase Stars to send to streaming creators. Meta pays $0.01 USD for every Star a creator receives.

Meta has also added more insights to Facebook Reels through the Creator Studio, sharing metrics including reach, minutes viewed and average watch time.

Image credit: Meta

Source: Meta

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Mobile Syrup

Mark Zuckerberg is promoting the sale of his Mark Zuckerberg’s Little League Baseball Card

Meta recently announced that it’s adding the ability for Instagram users to connect their digital crypto wallets to the platform and share their digital art and NFTs (non-fungible tokens).

To promote the new feature, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is turning his Little League baseball card into an NFT.

When Zuckerberg was eight back in 1992, he gave the card to his camp counsellor Allie Tarantino who kept it. Now, the card has been authenticated and is going up on sale, along with a blockchain version of it to go along.

“Mark was one of my campers and one day he came in with this card and gave it to me — I was stunned that he was on it! I had never seen a Little League baseball card before, so I asked him to sign it for me. I never could have guessed what amazing things he would do!,” said Tarantino.

“I’ve been telling this story for quite a while, about how I knew Mark as a camper, and it always astonishes people to see that this card actually exists. But I feel that my part of the story is over, so due to Mark’s prominence in the tech world, and the fact that he’s one of the most famous people on the planet, I figure now is a good time to sell this card and put it on market.”

The proceeds of the sale will go to the owner of the card and not Meta or Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg and Meta are just promoting the sale of the card, though it looks like it could use the proceeds. The company reported its first-ever decline in revenue for the second quarter, and its stock is more than 59 percent down since its all-time-high in September 2021.

Instagram recently rolled back its full-screen feed and reduced recommendations amid mounting criticism over changes to the app, and it appears as though rolling out support for NFTs is its way to secure redemption.

Learn more about digital collectibles on Instagram here.

Image credit: @zuck

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Mobile Syrup

Meta makes Inuktitut an official language on Facebook desktop

Facebook users can now translate their feeds to the Inuktitut language’s South Baffin dialect through desktop.

The news, shared by Facebook parent company Meta, is the result of a four-year partnership with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI) to promote the use of the language.

Inuktitut is an Inuit language spoken in Nunavut and has many dialects.

Meta says the translated version is available globally, including to the 35,000 residents across the Inuit Nunangat where Inuktitut is listed as the mother tongue.

NTI president Aluki Kotierk met with the company back in 2018, sharing the idea with Meta executives to promote the daily use of the language.

“Inuit expect to see and hear Inuktut in all aspects of our lives. Recognizing Inuktitut as an official language on Facebook, equal to English and French, reinforces the legitimacy of our language,” Kotierk said. “Being able to access Facebook in our own language is an important and concrete step towards seeing and hearing Inuktut in all aspects of our lives.”

Inuktut is a term that represents official languages spoken in Nunavut, and Inuktitut is one of those languages. 

Facebook is the most used social network in Nunavut, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories, the press release states, citing a report from Media Technology Monitor.

The Pirurvik Centre led the translation aspects of the project. Based in Iqaluit, Nunavut, the learning centre translated approximately 4,500 words. Meta notes new concepts were created as some terms didn’t have equivalents in Inuktitut, including the term “Facebook page.” It now translates to “Facebook makpigaq.”

“The Facebook desktop interface was prioritized for this pilot as Inuktitut is a polysynthetic language, meaning Inuktitut words are longer and more complex when compared to their equivalents in English and French,” Debbie Reid, Indigenous Policy Manager at Meta told MobileSyrup. “We will continue to work with NTI and Pirurvik to explore expanding these language settings to other platforms.”

How to change the language to Inuktitut’s South Baffin dialect

  • Click the horizontal three bars on the top right corner.
  • Go down to ‘settings & privacy’ and then click ‘settings.’
  • Click ‘language and region’ and make your selection.

Source: Meta