Topic: employee layoffs
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Trump Shifts on AI Rules, Fired Worker Runs for Office, Hantavirus Explained
The Trump administration is reportedly considering an executive order to create a federal panel for reviewing AI models before public release, marking a potential reversal from its previous hands-off approach to AI regulation. The episode covers a former federal employee fired by Elon Musk's Depa...
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Gamers Use Epic Free Games But Return to Steam
The Epic Games Store has attracted users with free games, but many primarily use Steam, highlighting a challenge in building lasting platform loyalty. Despite significant user numbers and sales, Epic's growth metrics fell short of projections, prompting a strategy to unify its PC and mobile store...
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Oracle Names Hilary Maxson CFO for $50B AI Data Center Expansion
Oracle has appointed Hilary Maxson, former CFO of Schneider Electric, as its new CFO effective April 6, 2026, to lead financial strategy during its massive AI-driven data center expansion and transformation. The company is undertaking extraordinary capital expenditure, guiding for $50 billion thi...
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Meta awards $921M in stock options amid 700 layoffs
On March 25, Meta announced both substantial performance-based stock option grants for six top executives, tied to an ambitious $9 trillion market cap target by 2031, and the elimination of approximately 700 jobs across several divisions. The executive grants, framed as critical retention tools i...
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Meta Reverses Course, Keeps Horizon Worlds VR Alive
Meta has reversed its plan to focus "almost exclusively" on mobile, announcing it will continue supporting its Horizon Worlds VR platform for existing content on headsets. The company is adopting a hybrid model where new development is concentrated on mobile, while the VR component is maintained ...
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Meta's Metaverse Goes Beyond VR
Meta is separating its Horizon Worlds platform from its Quest VR hardware to focus on making the service accessible via mobile devices, while still expressing commitment to mixed reality development. This strategic shift follows massive financial losses in Meta's Reality Labs division, leading to...
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Meta's Metaverse Moves Beyond Virtual Reality
Meta is pivoting its Horizon Worlds platform to become "almost exclusively mobile," decoupling it from VR hardware to pursue a larger audience and compete with platforms like Roblox. This strategic shift follows massive financial losses in Meta's Reality Labs division, nearing $80 billion since 2...
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Inside Block's Rolling Layoffs Under Jack Dorsey
Block is undergoing rolling layoffs affecting up to 10% of staff, severely damaging morale and creating a culture of anxiety and uncertainty among employees. Leadership, including Jack Dorsey, has controversially framed the layoffs as performance-based, a claim disputed by many staff who view it ...
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Another Co-Founder Leaves Elon Musk's xAI
Co-founder Tony Wu has resigned from Elon Musk's xAI, continuing a trend of senior leadership departures that raises questions about the company's internal dynamics and strategy. Wu's departure aligns with a broader movement of AI talent toward smaller, agile teams, and his exit follows other co-...
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Meta Shuts Down Three VR Studios in Metaverse Cuts
Meta is laying off about 10% of its Reality Labs workforce and closing several VR game studios, including Twisted Pixel, Sanzaru, and Armature, as part of a strategic shift. The company is reallocating investment away from some metaverse software initiatives and toward the wearables market, such ...
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Arcade1Up's Future: Alive and Kicking
Arcade1Up is undergoing a major operational shift, with most staff departing, but its intellectual property and product lines are expected to continue under new management. The transition raises immediate concerns for owners about product support, warranties, and parts, though current systems are...
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Crystal Dynamics Lays Off 30 Staff in Third Round of Tomb Raider Cuts
Crystal Dynamics has laid off nearly 30 employees in its third round of job cuts this year, part of a restructuring to position the company for future growth and optimize development processes. The layoffs aim to streamline operations for the next Tomb Raider game and prepare the studio to develo...
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Square Enix Lays Off Staff in Major US and Europe Restructuring
Square Enix is restructuring its US and European operations, leading to employee layoffs and the consolidation of publishing divisions to centralize core development in Japan and optimize resource allocation. The company expects to incur a one-time expense of about $76.8 million but projects annu...
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Rad Power Bikes Could Shut Down in January Without Funding
Rad Power Bikes may permanently shut down in January if it fails to secure new funding or a buyer, as revealed in an internal email to employees. The company is struggling with a sharp decline in consumer demand, excess inventory, and financial pressures from tariffs and a tough macroeconomic env...
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Xbox President: Our Real Rival Is TikTok, Not PlayStation
Xbox now views digital entertainment platforms like TikTok and movies as its main competition, shifting focus from traditional rivals like PlayStation to reach players across all devices. The company is breaking from console exclusivity by bringing major franchises like *Halo* to PlayStation 5, a...
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Microsoft's Xbox Price Hikes, Studio Closures Driven by Profit Goals
Microsoft's Xbox division is implementing price increases, studio shutdowns, and layoffs to meet a new corporate mandate for a 30% profit margin, set by CFO Amy Hood in late 2023. This target is significantly higher than the industry's typical 17-22% margin and more than double Xbox's 12% margin ...
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Elon Musk Settles $128M Twitter Exec Lawsuit
Elon Musk and four former Twitter executives have reached a confidential settlement over a lawsuit concerning more than $128 million in unpaid severance, with terms dependent on Musk fulfilling certain conditions. The lawsuit alleged that Musk expedited his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter to p...
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Hyundai's Supernal Loses More Execs in Air Taxi Shake-Up
Hyundai's electric air taxi venture Supernal is undergoing a significant leadership transition, with key executives including the Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Safety Officer departing as part of a strategic reassessment. The company is pausing its core air taxi development program and has fac...
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Microsoft Cuts Funding for John Romero's New Game, Studio Faces Layoffs
Romero Games faced sudden layoffs after Microsoft withdrew funding for John Romero's upcoming FPS, leaving the studio's future uncertain. Affected employees expressed devastation, with over a dozen staff members confirming job losses and calling the situation tragic. The cancellation is part of M...
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Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Denies Retirement Rumors
Microsoft's gaming division, including Xbox, faced significant layoffs, leading to the cancellation of high-profile projects like "Everwild" and an unannounced MMO, though Phil Spencer remains in his leadership role. Xbox confirmed Phil Spencer has no plans to retire, debunking rumors of his depa...
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