Meta
Google's parent company Alphabet 'prepares' to lay off 10K employees
According to a report in The Information, Google plans to ease out 10,000 employees through a new ranking and performance improvement plan. "A new performance management system could help managers push out thousands of underperforming employees starting early next year. Managers could also use the ratings to avoid paying them bonuses and stock grants," the report mentioned.
Meta rolls out new privacy updates for teenagers on Instagram, Facebook
Starting now, anyone who joins Facebook under the age of 16, or under the age of 18 in some countries, will automatically be placed in more private settings, the company said in a blogpost. The company is also testing methods to prevent teenagers from messaging suspicious adults they are not connected to, and the platform won't display them in the People You May Know recommendations.
WhatsApp to launch new business directory in five countries
The feature will roll out across Brazil, the UK, Indonesia, Mexico and Colombia, reports The Verge. According to the company, the new feature will help users to either search directly to find companies that are contactable on the service or browse by business types such as travel or banking.
All the users who signed up for WhatsApp's Business Platform across the five countries will display in the directory.
Meta fires staff for hijacking Facebook, Insta accounts: Report
According to The Wall Street Journal, some offenders used Meta's account recovery software, "Oops," and even took thousands of dollars in bribes from those seeking access. Some of those fired were contractors who worked as security guards at Meta facilities and were given access to the company's internal system for helping users who had trouble with their accounts.
Meta appoints Sandhya Devanathan as head for India biz
She will start her new role on January 1, 2023 and will report to Dan Neary, Vice President, Meta APAC. Devanathan will be a part of the APAC leadership team and will move back to India to lead the country's organisation and strategy. "Sandhya has a proven track record of scaling businesses, building exceptional and inclusive teams, driving product innovation and building strong partnerships.
WhatsApp India head Abhijit Bose, Meta India public policy director resign
"I want to thank Abhijit Bose for his tremendous contributions as our first Head of WhatsApp in India. His entrepreneurial drive helped our team deliver new services that have benefited millions of people and businesses," Will Cathcart, Head of WhatsApp, said in a statement.
Indian firms must create own models to avoid massive layoffs: Zoho's Sridhar Vembu
According to Vembu, who has built a billion-dollar product company in India, told IANS that Silicon Valley has always faced big booms and huge busts in the past and this is the first time it has hit employees in India to such a large extent.
WhatsApp's new feature to flag calls missed due to DND
The new update will let users know if they have missed a call due to DND mode. Users will see a handy tagline right under the missed call history item indicating that the call was silenced by Do Not Disturb, according to Android Police. Users will also see a similar blurb when they punch up the person's chat thread.
Meta plans to shut down Portal, smartwatches projects
The Meta executives announced at an internet meeting that the company has planned to kill both Portal and the wearables, reports The Verge. The tech giant has also dropped its plans to offer Portal video calling hardware to other businesses, as well as the other two smartwatches that were in the early and intermediate stages of development.
Meta to test ways to make & sell NFTs on Instagram
With the intention of shortly expanding to more nations, Meta is testing the new feature with "a small group of creators in the US".
Users can buy digital collectibles of their favourite creators directly from Instagram to support them, the company said in a blogpost.
Advertisement