Tech Employees for Online Safety, AI Ethics Face Terminations; Lists of Tech Layoffs This 2023

Don't they value the safety of tech consumers?

Tech employees for online safety and trust, as well as AI ethics, are still experiencing layoffs.

Why Tech Employees for Online Safety, AI Ethics Face Terminations; Lists of Tech Layoffs This 2023
A customer (L) is greeted by Apple employees as she enters the Hong Kong Apple store to get an iPhone 5 on September 21, 2012. Apple's iPhone 5 hit stores in Hong Kong with queues of devotees undeterred by a lukewarm welcome from experts for the smartphone and complaints about its new mapping system. PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP via Getty Images

In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, numerous companies in the tech industry decided to let go of some of their staff.

Their layoffs just got worst in 2022. This 2023, Meta, Apple, Twitter, and other tech firms are still terminating their employees.

Now, the main question is, why do tech companies tend to terminate employees who are part of their AI ethics and online safety teams?

Why Tech Employees for Online Safety, AI Ethics Face Terminations

According to CNBC's latest report, massive tech layoffs were made when cyberbullying and other harmful online activities were rampant.

Meta
Facebook employees gather in front of a sign displaying a new logo and the name 'Meta' in front of Facebook headquarters on October 28, 2021 in Menlo Park, California. A new name and logo were unveiled at Facebook headquarters after a much anticipated name change for the social media platform. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

In 2022, Meta's team anti-misinformation team was working on a fact-checking tool that was supposed to be completed in around half a year.

However, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's decision to lay off employees included in the team put an end to the anti-misinformation technology.

Meanwhile, Twitter also disbanded its ethical AI team back in November 2022, as well as around 15% of employees of the trust and safety department.

Aside from Twitter and Meta, Google also terminated some of its staff who are working to protect users from radicalization, censorship, toxicity, and misinformation.

Although the 2024 U.S. Election season nears, these tech firms are still planning to conduct layoffs.

Because of this, tech critics think that Meta and other companies view safety and trust, as well as AI ethics, as cost centers.

Tech Layoffs This 2023

Tech Crunch provided the tech layoffs that were conducted this 2023. Here's how many employees were terminated in the tech industry from January to April:

  • January: 84,714 employees laid off
  • February: 36,491 employees laid off
  • March: 37,109 employees laid off
  • April: 17,926 employees were laid off

If you want to learn more specific details about these tech layoffs, you can click this link.

Here are other stories we recently wrote about business tech:

The partnership of T-Mobile and SpaceX was targeted by AT&T. Recently, Apple's generative AI job posts were spotted.

For more news updates about happenings in the tech industry, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Tech Times
Article owned by Tech Times | Written by Griffin Davis Photo owned by Tech Times
ⓒ 2024 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Join the Discussion
Real Time Analytics