The news: TikTok has laid off hundreds of employees worldwide as it restructures its content moderation operations. According to Reuters, 500 employees were laid off in Malaysia, most of whom were in the company’s content management teams.
The embattled short-form video platform has committed to spending $2 billion on global trust and safety and is heavily automating its content moderation processes. Eighty percent of content that violates TikTok policy is now removed by automated technology, per TikTok.
The moderation issue: Content management has long been a thorn in TikTok’s side, and even more so now that several US states have sued the company over its moderation practices and the harm caused to young users.