(This article is part of Today’s Cache, The Hindu’s newsletter on emerging themes at the intersection of technology, innovation and policy. To get it in your inbox, subscribe here.)
Meta’s next round of firings
Facebook-parent Meta could fire more employees as soon as Wednesday, according to an internal memo and the claims of several current employees, reported the outlet Vox. Employees at risk reportedly include those working on Facebook, Instagram, Reality Labs, and WhatsApp. Meta confirmed a memo was sent but did not reveal the number of jobs that would be slashed. However, Vox reported that around 4,000 jobs could be at risk.
In March, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a blog post that there would be more firings in late April and late May, as part of the company’s goal to ensure that 2023 would be a year of efficiency. Meta has also started focusing on developing AI tools and making more AI models accessible to the public.
Twitter’s new moderation policy
Twitter has introduced a new policy that will allow it to leave up select tweets that violate its Hateful Conduct policy, and limit their reach without deleting them permanently. The social media company’s safety team said this form of what it called “visibility filtering” would allow it to take enforcement actions against a tweet without censoring it completely by pulling it down.
The restriction will include a label being applied to the offending tweet in order to flag that it violated policies. The tweet will also become harder to find. However, the action will not extend to the tweet author’s account as a whole. There are plans to expand the initiative to other areas in the following months.
Google’s foldable smartphone
Google is expected to bring out a foldable smartphone, the Pixel Fold, to rival Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 in June this year. According to documents and images viewed by CNBC, the phone is meant to be water-resistant and could cost more than $1,700. Running on a Tensor G2 chip, the phone should open up to reveal a 7.6-inch screen. The tech giant hopes to stand out from the crowd by providing the most durable smartphone hinge, according to CNBC.
Google has not confirmed or denied the reports, but a formal announcement for the Pixel Fold is expected during the Google I/O conference on May 10.
