ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, has laid off over 700 workers from its Malaysian unit as it pivots towards a more AI-driven approach to content moderation, according to two sources familiar with the situation. Most of the affected employees were involved in content moderation operations and were informed of their termination by email late Wednesday. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
In response to questions, TikTok confirmed the layoffs on Friday but did not provide an exact figure of those affected in Malaysia. The company did indicate that several hundred employees globally would also be impacted as part of a broader restructuring aimed at improving its content moderation processes. TikTok currently relies on a combination of automated detection systems and human moderators to oversee content on its platform. ByteDance, according to its website, employs over 110,000 workers across more than 200 cities worldwide.
One source also revealed that ByteDance is planning further layoffs next month as part of its effort to streamline regional operations. A TikTok spokesperson explained, “We’re making these changes as part of our ongoing efforts to further strengthen our global operating model for content moderation.” The company also stated that it intends to invest $2 billion globally in trust and safety initiatives this year, with 80% of harmful content now being removed through automated systems.
The news was initially reported by The Malaysian Reserve on Thursday. The layoffs come as global technology firms face increasing regulatory scrutiny in Malaysia, where the government has mandated that social media companies apply for an operating license by January to combat cybercrimes. Earlier this year, Malaysia reported a significant rise in harmful online content and urged companies like TikTok to intensify their monitoring efforts.
