Latest news with #jobCuts
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Congressional letter obtained by AP outlines drastic job cuts expected at Voice of America
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration appointee overseeing the Voice of America has outlined job cuts that would reduce employment at the state-run news organization from over 1,000 people to 81. The Voice of America, which has delivered news to countries all over the world for the better part of a century, has been largely silent for two months following an executive order by President Donald Trump. He believes Voice of America, and similar organizations like Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, have reported with a liberal bias.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Congressional letter obtained by AP outlines drastic job cuts expected at Voice of America
The Trump administration appointee overseeing the Voice of America has outlined job cuts that would reduce employment at the state-run news organization from over 1,000 people to 81. The Voice of America, which has delivered news to countries all over the world for the better part of a century, has been largely silent for two months following an executive order by President Donald Trump. He believes Voice of America, and similar organizations like Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, have reported with a liberal bias. Most of VOA's employees have been on administrative leave since mid-March amid reports that layoff notices were forthcoming. Kari Lake, who has been overseeing the U.S. Agency for Global Media for Trump, outlined planned employment changes in a letter Tuesday to U.S. Sen. James Risch that was obtained by The Associated Press. Lake said Trump had directed the agency 'to reduce the performance of its statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law.' Some VOA employees are fighting for the organization's survival in court, and one of them — White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara — said Wednesday that it was absurd to think the staff could be cut to the levels Lake is suggesting. 'You can't make staff this size produce content for a global audience of 360 million weekly,' Widakuswara said. 'It's comical if it weren't so tragic. We're not just losing our jobs and journalism, we are abdicating our voice and influence in the world.' In April, a federal judge ruled that the administration illegally shut down VOA. But an appellate panel later said that a lower court did not have the authority to order that employees be brought back to work, keeping the agency in limbo. In court papers filed last week, lawyers for Widakuswara and fellow plaintiffs said the administration made a cursory attempt to indicate that VOA was operational by broadcasting five minutes of content to three provinces in Afghanistan on May 27. The Washington-area building where Voice of America has been operating has been put up for sale, while a lease has been canceled for a new building that the news operation was to move into, the court papers said. Lake's letter says the administration wants to keep 33 jobs overseen by her agency that broadcasts news to Cuba, along with two positions each to provide services to China and Afghanistan and in Farsi, the official language of Iran. ___ Bauder reported from New York.
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Congressional letter obtained by AP outlines drastic job cuts expected at Voice of America
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration appointee overseeing the Voice of America has outlined job cuts that would reduce employment at the state-run news organization from over 1,000 people to 81. The Voice of America, which has delivered news to countries all over the world for the better part of a century, has been largely silent for two months following an executive order by President Donald Trump. He believes Voice of America, and similar organizations like Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, have reported with a liberal bias. Most of VOA's employees have been on administrative leave since mid-March amid reports that layoff notices were forthcoming. Kari Lake, who has been overseeing the U.S. Agency for Global Media for Trump, outlined planned employment changes in a letter Tuesday to U.S. Sen. James Risch that was obtained by The Associated Press. Lake said Trump had directed the agency 'to reduce the performance of its statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law.' Some VOA employees are fighting for the organization's survival in court, and one of them — White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara — said Wednesday that it was absurd to think the staff could be cut to the levels Lake is suggesting. 'You can't make staff this size produce content for a global audience of 360 million weekly,' Widakuswara said. 'It's comical if it weren't so tragic. We're not just losing our jobs and journalism, we are abdicating our voice and influence in the world.' In April, a federal judge ruled that the administration illegally shut down VOA. But an appellate panel later said that a lower court did not have the authority to order that employees be brought back to work, keeping the agency in limbo. In court papers filed last week, lawyers for Widakuswara and fellow plaintiffs said the administration made a cursory attempt to indicate that VOA was operational by broadcasting five minutes of content to three provinces in Afghanistan on May 27. The Washington-area building where Voice of America has been operating has been put up for sale, while a lease has been canceled for a new building that the news operation was to move into, the court papers said. Lake's letter says the administration wants to keep 33 jobs overseen by her agency that broadcasts news to Cuba, along with two positions each to provide services to China and Afghanistan and in Farsi, the official language of Iran. Lake announced last month that the pro-Trump news outlet One America News Network had agreed to provide a feed of its newscasts to VOA and other state-run services that broadcast in other countries. It's not clear whether any OAN feeds have been used yet. ___ Bauder reported from New York.
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Klarna's AI replaced 700 workers. It's trying to bring them back after losing $40bn in value
Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski has announced plans to beef up its human customer service team after artificial intelligence replaced 700 workers. The 'buy now, pay later' company's use of AI to cut jobs came after a dismal fundraising round, in which its valuation dropped to $6.7 billion. To put it in context, Klarna's valuation peaked at $45.6 billion in 2021. But now, Siemiatkowski has suggested that the AI job cuts have led to 'lower quality' customer service and is backpedaling by vowing to hire more humans. The executive recently announced at Klarna's Stockholm headquarters that a new hiring pilot is underway, in which customer service workers will be 'in an Uber type of setup,' per Bloomberg. These remote workers will eventually replace 'the few thousand human agents' that are outsourced by the firm. So far, only two customer service employees from this pilot have begun work. 'I just think it's so critical that you are clear to your customer that there will be always a human if you want,' said Siemiatkowski, a Swedish fintech entrepreneur who co-founded the company. The CEO reflected on Klarna's previous shift in focus from human agents and to AI. 'As cost unfortunately seems to have been a too predominant evaluation factor when organizing this, what you end up having is lower quality,' he said. Siemiatkowski continued: 'Really investing in the quality of the human support is the way of the future for us.' But this doesn't mean the company won't continue to use AI in other areas. Siemiatkowski mentioned that Klarna will use AI to improve efficiency in its software. In the meantime, the firm hopes to recruit people from rural areas, students and others to fill the new jobs. 'We also know there are tons of Klarna users that are very passionate about our company and would enjoy working for us,' Siemiatkowski added.
Bloomberg
20-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Turkey's Zorlu to Tackle $4.9 Billion Debt With Job Cuts, Sales
Zorlu Holding, one of Turkey's largest conglomerates, is readying asset sales and job cuts as part of a sweeping overhaul to ease investor concerns about its $4.9 billion debt burden. The company has already extended a portion of its loan maturities. Asset divestments, including land holdings, are a priority, according to people with direct knowledge of an investor call with Zorlu management last week that was hosted by J.P. Morgan Securities. Zorlu's businesses range from companies in real estate and textiles, to energy and manufacturing. The company has been rocked by a leadership shakeup after CEO Cem Koksal stepped down in March.
