Latest news with #CandyCrush
India Today
5 days ago
- Business
- India Today
2025 tech layoffs: Amazon, Microsoft, Google fuel job fears amid AI push
Amazon has laid off a huge chunk of its employees from its AWS cloud division. The exact number remains uncertain, reported tech giants like Microsoft, Google, Intel and Meta also joins the year 2025 was supposed to be a new chapter. A time when artificial intelligence promised smarter work, faster growth, and a better for tens of thousands of workers across the world, it has meant sleepless nights, and uncertain futures. From the glass towers of Microsoft in Redmond to Intel's chip plants in Oregon, from Amazon's cloud hubs in Hyderabad to Disney offices in Mumbai - Job loss has turned into a global layoff LAYOFFS DESPITE STRONG REVENUE According to Reuters, Amazon has laid off hundreds of employees from its AWS cloud computing division, with affected departments including support, training, and cloud specialist strong revenue from AWS (a 17% increase in Q1), Amazon continues to trim costs across its business report highlights that laid-off employees will receive 60 days' pay, extended health benefits, and LAYS OFF 9,000 EMPLOYEES AS AI TAKES OVERIn early July, Microsoft also confirmed another round of layoffs. Around 9,000 people, nearly 4% of its workforce to be Times reported Microsoft had pledged $80 billion in capital spending for its fiscal year 2025. However, the soaring cost of scaling its AI infrastructure has weighed on its margins, with its June quarter cloud margin expected to shrink from last year. Microsoft plans to reduce organisational layers with fewer managers and streamline its products, procedures and roles.'The company's shift from human-led sales to AI-powered solution engineering marks a changing tide,' reports Windows INTRODUCES VOLUNTARY EXIT PROGRAMOn the other hand, Google has introduced 'Voluntary Exit Program' amid restructuring rather than immediate job terminations. This was introduced for U.S.-based employees, particularly in the Search, Ads, and Engineering to The Economic Times, the move comes alongside office return mandates and aims to reduce headcount without forced of these layoffs have one thing in common - the revolution of AI. Instead of using human-intensive procedures and traditional hierarchies, businesses are opting for automation, machine learning, and leaner digital-first Bloomberg News revealed that Microsoft's King subsidiary, based in Barcelona and home to the Candy Crush video game, is laying off roughly 200 employees, or 10% of its layoffs have also been reported by Big Tech peers that are making significant investments in artificial intelligence. Leaving people in a dilemma of what their future beholds after being cut from one of the world's largest this year, Facebook's parent company Meta said that it will lay off roughly 5% of its "lowest performers.""We are at the beginning of a new era of work. AI is both a disruptor and a creator," said a former Microsoft HR executive in Business Insider, urging laid-off workers to upskill rather than global tech giants invest heavily in AI, the demand is shifting toward AI/ML specialists, data engineers, product designers with tech adaptability and digital content/marketing strategists with automation numbers represent actual human stories of first-generation IT workers, single-income families, and mid-career professionals. These employees are going through a psychological shift in how they see job security in addition to financial stress.- Ends
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Candy Crush makers are losing jobs to AI they helped build: Report
King, the Microsoft-owned gaming studio behind the iconic Candy Crush franchise, is reportedly preparing to lay off more people and replace them with the same AI tools they developed. These job cuts are apparently happening in departments like level design and narrative writing. The news comes from which, citing sources familiar with the matter, said that the layoff will affect around 50 people, or half the team working on Farm Heroes Saga. 'Most of level design has been wiped, which is crazy since they've spent months building tools to craft levels quicker. Now those AI tools are basically replacing the teams. Similarly, the copywriting team is completely removing people since we now have AI tools that those individuals have been creating', one employee told the publication on the condition of anonymity. These employees worked from the company's offices in London, Stockholm, Berlin and Barcelona. As it turns out, they largely consist of mid-level management, UX, narrative copywriting, level design and user research staff. The report goes on to say that some of the game's leadership is being 'put on gardening leave', which means that they will have to stay away from the workplace, but will continue to receive salary and benefits. This is usually done to prevent employees from immediately joining a competitor and to prevent sensitive information from leaking. 'The fact AI tools are replacing people is absolutely disgusting. It's all about efficiency and profits even though the company is doing great overall. If we're introducing more feedback loops then it's crazy to remove the developer themselves, we need more hands and less leadership', added another employee. As it turns out, some centralised staff, like those working on research and QA, are also being removed, which means the total number of laid-off people may cross the 200 mark. Citing one staffer who was present in the meeting, the report suggests King's leadership allegedly wants to remove layers, stakeholders and other processes which might be slowing down development. Last year, King talked about how it is using AI tools to do its mundane tasks, giving its staff more time for creative thinking. Unsurprisingly, these AI layoffs are not limited to King. Earlier this month, a developer working for Halo developer 343 Industries reportedly told Engadget that they felt frustrated as they lost their job just hours after Xbox head Phil Spencer celebrated the division's profitability. To give you a quick recap, King Studios was previously owned by Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard and came under Microsoft's umbrella when the tech giant acquired Activision for $69 billion back in 2023.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
After laying off 9,000 employees, Microsoft is now replacing some of workers with the AI tools they build
Microsoft 's King division, the developers of popular game Candy Crush, had laid off around 200 employees, and now these human workers will reportedly be replaced by artificial intelligence tools they helped create, according to multiple sources speaking to . This comes as Microsoft pushed its gaming division into broader restructuring, cutting thousands of jobs across Xbox and its subsidiaries earlier this month. Designers, user researchers, UX writers, and narrative copywriters who spent years building and training these AI systems, are the ones now being replaced for now. King's London-based Farm Heroes Saga team also faces severe cuts, with sources indicating about 50 people, roughly half the team, will be made redundant, including key leadership positions. AI tools built by humans now replacing them "Most of level design has been wiped, which is crazy since they've spent months building tools to craft levels quicker," said one King staffer speaking anonymously to . "Now those AI tools are basically replacing the teams. Similarly the copywriting team is completely removing people since we now have AI tools that those individuals have been creating." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo The situation has created widespread frustration among remaining employees. "The fact AI tools are replacing people is absolutely disgusting but it's all about efficiency and profits even though the company is doing great overall," the same source continued. "If we're introducing more feedback loops then it's crazy to remove the developers themselves, we need more hands and less leadership." Company morale hits rock bottom amid restructuring Sources indicate the total number of cuts may exceed the initially reported 200 positions, with centralized staff in research and quality assurance also being eliminated. A recent internal employee survey conducted before the layoffs showed morale was already at an all-time low, with one person familiar with the results saying it's now "in the gutter." The restructuring affects King's offices in London, Barcelona, Stockholm, and Berlin, with many employees remaining in limbo throughout the summer as union negotiations continue. Senior staff have been placed on gardening leave ahead of expected September departures. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Miami Herald
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Fired Candy Crush Devs To Be Replaced With AI
The ongoing bloodbath at Microsoft and its subsidiaries, Activision, Blizzard, King, Bethesda, and more has led to high-profile video game cancellations and thousands of jobs being cut in favor of developing AI tools and reinforcing an already-strong bottom line. Basically, people are losing their jobs and livelihoods for no reason other than to boost stock prices for shareholders, a vast majority of whom don't know anything about video games. As time goes by, these mass layoffs are being contextualized by new information, and it's not pretty. The games of King, developers of Candy Crush Saga and other simple mobile apps with tons of opportunities for microtransactions, might not be terribly popular among "core gamers," but they are money-making machines. Candy Crush Saga launched in 2012 and grossed over twenty billion dollars as of 2023. But it's still not enough. It's never enough. According to reports from MobileGamer and Kotaku, roughly 200 King employees are being laid off, including the entire level design team. Worse yet, this particular team is set to be replaced by AI tools they themselves created and trained. According to the reports, morale at the company is at an all-time low. Theoretically, AI can be a useful tool for developers to streamline their jobs and allocate more resources towards creativity and less on the granular grind of game development. In practice, however, high-paid executives see AI as a way to cut the jobs of the hard-working people who actually make games and cut out concepts like 'creativity' entirely. By outsourcing development to soulless robots, they can consolidate the profits for themselves. Core gaming enthusiasts who play on console or PC might not care about the assembly-line automation of Candy Crush, but they should. Because if They/The Man/The Suits/The Executive Class can do it with mobile games, turning art into soulless 'product' and vapid 'content,' it's only a matter of time before they do the same thing to games you actually care about. We're already seeing the rise of AI replacing voice actors, and 'tech bros' are practically foaming at the mouth over an AI facsimile of Quake, even if it runs poorly and sucks to actually play. The technology isn't quite there yet... But once it is, you can be damned sure that 'Big AI' will attempt to ruin AAA gaming in ways we can't even imagine, and the shareholders are going to love it. Copyright The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Engadget
15-07-2025
- Business
- Engadget
Laid off Candy Crush studio staff reportedly replaced by the AI tools they helped build
Microsoft's extensive gaming portfolio was hit hard by sweeping layoffs earlier this month. The situation appears to have been particularly galling for staff at Candy Crush developer King who are reportedly set to be replaced by AI tools they worked on. Multiple anonymous sources have told that a number of narrative, UX, level design and user research staffers at King have spent several years helping to build and train AI models that can do their jobs more quickly. Those same employees are now being told their jobs are at risk. They added that the copywriting team is facing the same fate, with the London-based group working on Farm Heroes Saga expected to effectively be cut in half. "The fact AI tools are replacing people is absolutely disgusting but it's all about efficiency and profits even though the company is doing great overall," a source told the mobile gaming-focused outlet. "If we're introducing more feedback loops then it's crazy to remove the developers themselves, we need more hands and less leadership." The same source estimated that the company-wide staff cuts could end up being more than 200, which was the number reported by Bloomberg when it broke the news of the broader layoffs. The impact of the recent staffing upheaval is being felt across Microsoft's gaming division. Engadget's Jessica Conditt recently spoke to employees at Halo Studios, with one developer telling us they were "super pissed" about the layoffs. At least five people within Halo Studios were told they no longer had jobs shortly after receiving an all-staff email from Microsoft Gaming SEO Phil Spencer allegedly celebrating Xbox's current profitability. The same developer said Microsoft was trying its "damnest to replace as many jobs as [it] can with AI agents" as it increasingly pushes Copilot on its staff.
