Latest news with #LlamaCon
Business Insider
7 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Meta Platforms (META) Considers Using Rival AI Models Instead of Llama
Tech giant Meta Platforms (META) is reportedly thinking about pulling back from its own Llama language models in favor of models from rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic, according to The New York Times. This would be a big shift in strategy, since Meta's Llama models are open-source, meaning others can use and modify them, while OpenAI and Anthropic use 'closed' models that aren't open to the public. So far, no final decision has been made. Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter This possible change comes after the rocky launch of Meta's Llama 4 models in April. Indeed, Meta introduced the models during its LlamaCon event, but they didn't perform as well as competing AI models, and many developers left the event unimpressed. Since then, Meta has been spending heavily to catch up. Earlier this month, it announced a $14.3 billion investment to buy nearly half of Scale AI. As part of that deal, Scale's CEO Alexandr Wang will join Meta to lead its 'superintelligence' team, which is focused on creating artificial general intelligence. Meta is also making bold moves to attract top AI talent. Reports say that the company is offering massive signing bonuses—up to $100 million—to hire researchers from OpenAI. On top of that, Meta is in talks to buy PlayAI, which is a startup that creates realistic AI voices. The company had even looked into acquiring other AI firms like Perplexity AI, Runway AI, and FuriosaAI before choosing to invest in Scale. Altogether, these efforts show how serious Meta is about becoming a leader in the AI space under CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Is Meta a Buy, Sell, or Hold? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on META stock based on 42 Buys, three Holds, and one Sell assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. Furthermore, the average META price target of $716.48 per share implies that shares are near fair value.
Indian Express
03-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Microsoft cuts 300 more jobs, extending largest layoffs in years: Report
Microsoft has reportedly carried out yet another round of job cuts, adding to what has already been the tech giant's largest wave of layoffs in recent years. Over 300 employees were eliminated from their positions at the company on Monday, June 2, according to a report by Bloomberg. The latest reduction in workforce is in addition to the 6,000 job cuts announced by Microsoft in May this year. While software engineers at the firm were most affected by the previous layoffs, it is still unclear which divisions have been impacted in the latest round of job cuts. Up till June 2024, Microsoft reportedly had around 2,28,000 full-time employees, a majority (55 per cent) of whom were based in the US. 'We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace,' a Microsoft spokesperson was quoted as saying by Bloomberg. The layoffs reflect a broader shift across big tech companies such as Microsoft and Meta as they increasingly channel investment and resources toward data centres and AI development while pulling back on spending in other parts of their operations. Another factor driving layoffs across the tech industry is the rise of AI coding tools capable of automating parts of the software development process. At Microsoft, engineers are using AI to write 20% to 30% of code for company projects, CEO Satya Nadella said last month at Meta's LlamaCon conference. In a conversation with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Nadella noted that the exact percentage of AI-generated code varies by programming language. He said AI writes 'fantastic' Python code, though its C++ capabilities are 'not that great.' Nadella also shared that Microsoft is increasingly relying on more advanced AI agents—software programs that perform complex tasks without human assistance—to review code. At Google, CEO Sundar Pichai said on an earnings call last month that the company was using AI to write 'well over 30%' of new code—up from 25% in October. He also noted that employees are increasingly accepting AI-suggested code. 'I still see it as early days, and there's going to be a lot more to do,' Pichai said. The latest company to join this trend is Salesforce, which now says its internal use of AI tools has enabled it to hire fewer employees, particularly engineers and customer service workers. 'We view these as assistants, but they are going to allow us to hire fewer people and, hopefully, make our existing team more productive,' Robin Washington, the chief financial and operations officer at SalesForce, was quoted as saying in an interview with Bloomberg.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Salesforce's AI push slows hiring; piles pressure on engineers, customer service roles
Salesforce has acknowledged that its adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools has enabled the company to scale back on recruitment, according to a report by Bloomberg. During an analyst call, chief financial and operations officer Robin Washington said the company is reducing hiring, with 500 customer service staff to be moved into other roles—an adjustment expected to save $50 million. She attributed this to the implementation of AI. Meanwhile, in an interview, Washington also said that the company is recruiting fewer engineers thanks to AI-driven productivity boosts. 'We view these as assistants, but they are going to allow us to have to hire less and hopefully make our existing folks more productive.' As of January 31, Salesforce had a workforce of around 76,500. Despite the reduced hiring in technical roles, the company is ramping up its sales team. Chief revenue officer Miguel Milano stated that the salesforce now numbers 13,000 and is expected to grow by 22% over the coming year. In February, Salesforce announced plans to cut over 1,000 jobs, while simultaneously hiring staff to support the sale of its new AI products. Other major tech companies are also using AI to cut costs associated with staffing. Earlier this month, Microsoft laid off approximately 6,000 employees, with software engineers bearing the brunt of the cuts. At Meta's LlamaCon conference in April, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed that AI now writes between 20% and 30% of the code within the company's repositories.
Time of India
29-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Salesforce's AI push slows hiring; piles pressure on engineers, customer service roles
Live Events Salesforce has acknowledged that its adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools has enabled the company to scale back on recruitment, according to a report by an analyst call, chief financial and operations officer Robin Washington said the company is reducing hiring, with 500 customer service staff to be moved into other roles—an adjustment expected to save $50 million. She attributed this to the implementation of in an interview, Washington also said that the company is recruiting fewer engineers thanks to AI-driven productivity boosts. 'We view these as assistants, but they are going to allow us to have to hire less and hopefully make our existing folks more productive.'As of January 31, Salesforce had a workforce of around 76, the reduced hiring in technical roles, the company is ramping up its sales team. Chief revenue officer Miguel Milano stated that the salesforce now numbers 13,000 and is expected to grow by 22% over the coming February, Salesforce announced plans to cut over 1,000 jobs , while simultaneously hiring staff to support the sale of its new AI major tech companies are also using AI to cut costs associated with this month, Microsoft laid off approximately 6,000 employees , with software engineers bearing the brunt of the Meta's LlamaCon conference in April, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed that AI now writes between 20% and 30% of the code within the company's repositories.
Indian Express
29-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Is AI leading to reduced jobs? What it means for software engineers
The debate over whether the use of artificial intelligence tools is leading to fewer roles for software engineers and coders has been ongoing for over a year. While some initially argued that AI would augment the average worker's efficiency rather than replace them, it seems the latter is becoming a reality—at least in big tech. The latest company to join this trend is Salesforce, which now says its internal use of AI tools has enabled it to hire fewer employees, particularly engineers and customer service workers. This appears to be becoming the norm among large tech firms, offering a clearer indication of the impact AI could have on jobs for software developers, coders, and engineers. Chief Financial and Operations Officer Robin Washington told Bloomberg in an interview that the company is hiring fewer software engineers due to productivity gains from artificial intelligence. 'We view these as assistants, but they are going to allow us to hire fewer people and, hopefully, make our existing team more productive,' she said. As millions of students around the world, particularly in India, prepare to become software engineers—and many even consider studying abroad for their master's degrees—their chances of landing a job at the world's biggest tech companies are beginning to look slimmer, all thanks to AI. Initially, AI tools from companies like OpenAI, Google, and Salesforce, which have been rolled out over the past few months, were seen as a way to boost productivity and improve efficiency. But now, it seems that those in the tech industry may be among the most vulnerable to displacement by AI. 'Now it is our office workers who are staring down the same kind of technological and economic disruption,' LinkedIn's chief economic opportunity officer, Aneesh Raman, wrote in a recent New York Times op-ed. 'Breaking first is the bottom rung of the career ladder.' Hiring hasn't come to a complete halt, but there's growing chatter that getting a first job in tech—especially fresh out of college—is becoming increasingly difficult. Leaders at tech companies all indicated in recent months that AI is indeed taking over jobs. With Salesforce now openly admitting that its hiring has been reduced due to AI, it's becoming clear that more tech companies are beginning to rely on artificial intelligence over human labor for certain tasks. At Microsoft, engineers are using AI to write 20% to 30% of code for company projects, CEO Satya Nadella said last month at Meta's LlamaCon conference. In a conversation with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Nadella noted that the exact percentage of AI-generated code varies by programming language. He said AI writes 'fantastic' Python code, though its C++ capabilities are 'not that great.' Nadella also shared that Microsoft is increasingly relying on more advanced AI agents—software programs that perform complex tasks without human assistance—to review code. As for Meta, Zuckerberg said he isn't sure exactly how much code AI is currently writing, but the company plans to use AI for half of its software development within the next year. 'That will just kind of increase from there,' he said. On a podcast with Joe Rogan in January, Zuckerberg stated that Meta is developing AI that can write code at the level of a mid-level engineer. He added that the company plans to have 'a lot' of its code 'built by AI engineers instead of people engineers' this year. At Google, CEO Sundar Pichai said on an earnings call last month that the company was using AI to write 'well over 30%' of new code—up from 25% in October. He also noted that employees are increasingly accepting AI-suggested code. 'I still see it as early days, and there's going to be a lot more to do,' Pichai said. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei also acknowledged that AI is already writing code. In just 12 months, 'we may be in a world where AI is writing essentially all of the code,' he said during a talk at the Council on Foreign Relations earlier this year. In fact, Amodei predicted that in just three to six months, AI could be writing 90% of all new code. Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn is another executive embracing the shift, noting that the company will replace many of its human contract workers with AI. AI chatbots like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot were initially seen as tools for basic tasks such as rephrasing sentences or fixing grammar. But as these LLMs grow more powerful, they are increasingly being used to write full code. OpenAI recently released Codex, an AI coding engine within ChatGPT, powered by its codex-1 model—an optimized version of its o3 AI reasoning model designed specifically for software engineering tasks. Similarly, Google has introduced Gemini Code Assist, a code-review agent that automatically identifies bugs and offers suggestions within GitHub. Code Assist allows developers to interact with a Google AI model in natural language to access and edit their codebase—much like GitHub's popular Copilot tool. The impact of AI is real—particularly on entry-level tech jobs. SignalFire, a venture capital firm that analyses job movements across over 650 million employees and 80 million companies on LinkedIn, reported last week that major tech companies—including Meta, Microsoft, and Google—recruited fewer recent graduates in 2024 compared to previous years. New graduates accounted for just 7% of new hires in 2024, down 25% from 2023 and over 50% from pre-pandemic levels in 2019. At startups, the rate of new graduate hiring dropped from 30% in 2019 to under 6% in 2024. While big tech companies are spending billions of dollars to build AI infrastructure, layoffs continue. So far this year, more than 62,114 tech workers have been laid off from both large and small tech firms, according to the independent tracker Anuj Bhatia is a personal technology writer at who has been covering smartphones, personal computers, gaming, apps, and lifestyle tech actively since 2011. He specialises in writing longer-form feature articles and explainers on trending tech topics. His unique interests encompass delving into vintage tech, retro gaming and composing in-depth narratives on the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture. He covers major international tech conferences and product launches from the world's biggest and most valuable tech brands including Apple, Google and others. At the same time, he also extensively covers indie, home-grown tech startups. Prior to joining The Indian Express in late 2016, he served as a senior tech writer at My Mobile magazine and previously held roles as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. Anuj holds a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University. You can find Anuj on Linkedin. Email: ... Read More
