Meta Lays Off 600 Employees from AI Division, One Indian Woman Seeks New Opportunities on X

A Seattle-based Indian woman who was working as a research scientist at Meta's AI division was laid off within nine months of being hired. She took to the social media platform X to seek new opportunities, and her post quickly went viral, with several founders and CEOs of smaller AI startups reaching out to her. The layoffs were announced by Meta's chief AI officer, Alexandr Wang, citing the need to streamline the company's AI infrastructure.

Key Takeaways:

• Meta has laid off 600 employees from its AI division, including a Seattle-based Indian woman who was working as a research scientist.
• The woman was hired in February this year and was laid off within nine months, citing changes in Meta's AI infrastructure.
• She took to X to seek new opportunities and was immediately flooded with messages from founders and CEOs of several smaller AI startups.
• She clarified that she was working on an H-1B visa and would require visa sponsorship from her new employer if she managed to land a job.
• Several prominent figures in the tech industry, including Violet Herod, founder of Beauvette, and Varsh Sridharan, a Microsoft employee, reached out to her within minutes of her post going viral.
• The woman expressed her desire to stay in the Greater Seattle area and is looking for opportunities that align with her skills and experience.

Statistics:

• 600 employees laid off from Meta's AI division.
• 9 months: the time frame between the woman's hiring and layoff.
• 3 years: the duration of an H-1B visa, with a possible extension of another 3 years.
• 2 months: the time frame the woman has to find a new team within Meta before she becomes invisible to the company's internal system.

Sources:

• HT Digital Content Services (with permission from Hindustan Times)
• CNBC: Meta to lay off 600 employees from its 'bloated' AI unit.