TikTok Layoffs in Malaysia

By Rozanna Latiff
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Social media platform TikTok is laying off hundreds of employees from its global workforce, including a significant number of staff in Malaysia, as the company pivots towards increased use of AI in content moderation.

According to two sources familiar with the situation, more than 700 jobs were eliminated in Malaysia. However, TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, later clarified that less than 500 employees were affected in the country.

Most of the dismissed employees were involved in content moderation operations, and they were notified of their termination via email late Wednesday. The sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

In response to inquiries from Reuters, TikTok confirmed the layoffs, indicating that several hundred employees would be impacted globally as part of an initiative to enhance moderation operations.

TikTok employs a combination of automated detection and human moderators for content review on the platform. ByteDance has over 110,000 employees in more than 200 cities globally.

Furthermore, the technology firm anticipates additional layoffs next month as it consolidates some of its regional operations, according to one source.

A TikTok spokesperson stated, "We're making these changes as part of our ongoing efforts to further strengthen our global operating model for content moderation." The company plans to invest $2 billion globally in trust and safety this year and will continue to enhance efficiency. Currently, 80% of content violating guidelines is removed through automated technologies.

The layoffs were first reported by The Malaysian Reserve on Thursday.
These job cuts are taking place amid increased regulatory pressure on global technology firms in Malaysia, where the government has mandated social media operators to apply for an operating license by January to combat cyber offenses. Earlier this year, Malaysia recorded a sharp rise in harmful social media content and urged companies, including TikTok, to intensify their monitoring efforts on their platforms.