Snapchat Blames AI As It Cuts 1,000 Jobs
- Reference: 0181720074
- News link: https://slashdot.org/story/26/04/15/1737249/snapchat-blames-ai-as-it-cuts-1000-jobs
- Source link:
> The changes are expected to save Snap $500 million by the second half of 2026. Snap had about 5,261 full-time employees as of December 2025, and now joins the growing list of tech companies that have already announced significant layoffs this year, including [3]Meta , [4]Amazon , [5]Oracle , [6]GoPro , and [7]Jack Dorsey's Block .
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> "Last fall, I described Snap as facing a crucible moment, requiring a new way of working that is faster and more efficient, while pivoting towards profitable growth," Spiegel wrote. "Over the past several months, we have carefully reviewed the work required to best serve our community and partners, and made tough choices to prioritize the investments we believe are most likely to create long-term value."
[1] https://www.theverge.com/tech/912314/snap-layoffs-1000-staffers-ai-profitability
[2] https://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0001564408/56e2f0b2-8352-41a6-a2cc-6cb7c1a9fe6f.pdf
[3] https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/01/13/1443226/meta-begins-job-cuts-as-it-shifts-from-metaverse-to-ai-devices
[4] https://slashdot.org/story/26/01/28/1043253/amazon-cuts-another-16000-jobs
[5] https://developers.slashdot.org/story/26/03/31/2023228/oracle-cuts-thousands-of-jobs-across-sales-engineering-security
[6] https://www.theverge.com/business/908650/gopro-layoffs-cuts-23-percent
[7] https://slashdot.org/story/26/02/26/2250206/jack-dorseys-block-cuts-nearly-half-of-its-staff-in-ai-gamble
The latest excuse (Score:2, Interesting)
This has been going on for decades. AI is just the next excuse to put more work and longer hours on those that survive layoffs.
Re: (Score:2)
It's a pleasant change from the COVID excuse.
Re: (Score:1)
It's kind of silly. There's an absolute limit to the amount of productivity that can be had at a given price point. Demand more work and your best leave. Pay less and they leave and also you can't recruit. Same with cutting benefits and so on. In a recession like the one we're in you can squeeze a little more but that's still going to bite you in the ass later.
BBC Lays Off 2,000 (Score:4, Informative)
[1]https://variety.com/2026/tv/ne... [variety.com]
The BBC is to cut as many as 2,000 jobs, affecting 10% of its 21,500 employees, in what is being described as the biggest scaling back in 15 years.
According to The Guardian, staff at the broadcaster were to be informed of the cuts on Wednesday afternoon in an all-staff meeting, with interim director general Rhodri Talfan Davies expected to announce the redundancies.
News of the cuts — representing the biggest job cuts at the BBC since 2011 — come before top Google exec Matt Brittin takes the reins as director general in May.
[1] https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/bbc-to-cut-up-to-2000-jobs-major-cost-saving-move-1236722352/
Re: (Score:2)
How the hell does Snapchat need 1,000s of employees? If there was ever any doubt that productivity does not scale linearly...
Re: (Score:2)
Snap inc has 5,261 employees. or 4,261 now.
When people say "how the hell does [company] need so many employees" it's clear you don't understand how many executive and middle managers it takes to keep workers feeling like they're being constantly shit on. And then to show appreciation for all the good work by .. shitting on them.
Re: How the hell does the BBC need... (Score:2)
Tiny network? You might be confusing them with something else. They have about a dozen TV stations and about 50 radio stations which, more crucially, produce almost all original programming. They're also one of the few larger news organisations still doing investigative journalism. 20k people seems more than reasonable when you look at everything they do. I don't think the US even has a media company which produces even remotely as much original content.
no value lost (Score:2)
Jobs lost , but no value. If American interpersonal communications might be viewed as a human female, then SNAPCHAT is a tarnished brass toe-ring gifted by an ex-boy-friend. It used to rest on her pinkee ... for sentimental reasons. Now it just snaps when she steps on it.
Re: (Score:2)
It takes a lot of people to figure out how to make money on a free application that requires a lot of infrastructure. But now that they are a porn. .. hub.. so to speak, they probably can't find enough places to stuff all the money they're making.
The problem is not the lie (Score:2)
The problem is if they start believing it themselves and then shoot themselves in the food by thinking AI can actually do the job of people...
It's Trump (Score:1)
His incompetence and evil wrecked the global economy but everyone's afraid to say it because he keeps sending the doj after anyone that crosses him and nobody can stop him. The courts are fighting over whether Trump's cronies can be held in contempt for ignoring orders from more sane judges and so far Trump is winning and his cronies can ignore Court orders
They blame their anal warts on (Score:1)
...AI
It's a fun excuse (Score:2)
Man break ankle chasing ice cream truck, blames AI
5261 employees? (Score:2)
How do they have that many? I think they just over hired and now need to rapidly cut head counts because what could that many people do? Assuming you have a dozen developers, maybe a dozen IT specialists, a dozen computer specialists outside IT, some management, and accessory staff, how do more than a few hundred people work at Snap?
Ignore AI, I want to know what those people do, 250 employees would sound like a lot, but 5250, would be 21x what sounds as a reasonable number. I'm always amazed by how ma
Just admit it (Score:5, Funny)
Translation: We took a nice, big gulp of the AI kool-aid, and our CEO wants a seventh yacht.
Re: (Score:3)
Social Media & AI, Inc.: The Fall of Rome @ 1024FPS
Re: (Score:2)
Alternate translation: Oh my god we employ over 6000 people but we're snapchat! there's no way we need to employ this many people! what's a good excuse to cull the herd?