Author: Asher J

Amazon is facing operational challenges in New York as proposed legislation could affect warehouse operations and delivery services. A company-funded study estimated that potential warehouse closures could increase costs by approximately $664 per household annually, or $5.20 per package. Same-day and morning deliveries could face the greatest impact. These figures are estimates from the study and may vary depending on the final legislation and its implementation. The developments come as Amazon continues to restructure its global workforce. The company has recently cut jobs across retail teams in India, the United States and the United Kingdom, as part of a broader…

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has extended the deadline for employers to file the Electronic Challan-cum-Return (ECR) and pay statutory contributions for September 2026 to October 31. The original deadline was October 15. The extension was announced by the EPFO in a post on X on October 14, giving employers additional time to complete payroll adjustments and meet their monthly compliance obligations. The decision comes after a reported revision in the statutory wage ceiling for mandatory Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) coverage from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 per month, effective September 17, 2026. The mid-month change requires employers to review employee…

Zoho is reviewing its employee compensation plans amid rising technology costs and broader economic uncertainty, according to remarks attributed to founder Sridhar Vembu. The company has indicated that employees may not receive salary increases at the levels they would typically expect this year. Vembu cited rising infrastructure expenses associated with artificial intelligence (AI) as one of the factors putting pressure on the company’s costs. According to the account, server prices have increased significantly, while growing AI usage has added to data centre expenditure. Geopolitical uncertainty and slower global economic growth were also identified as factors influencing the company’s approach to…

David Robinson, a former safety specialist at OpenAI, has resigned after three and a half years at the company, citing concerns about its organisational culture and approach to managing artificial intelligence risks. In an essay published in The Atlantic titled I Quit OpenAI Because Its Culture Is Broken, Robinson argued that the company’s focus on rapid product development and frequent launches can leave safety considerations struggling to keep pace with technological progress. Robinson questioned the industry’s reliance on iterative deployment, an approach that involves releasing AI systems, monitoring their performance and addressing problems as they emerge. He argued that increasingly…

SAP has agreed to acquire TechWolf, an artificial intelligence-powered work-intelligence platform, to strengthen skills mapping, workforce planning and talent management capabilities within its SAP SuccessFactors portfolio. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The companies have not disclosed the financial terms of the deal. TechWolf’s technology analyses work activities, organisational data and labour market information to provide businesses with an updated view of employee skills and workforce capabilities. SAP plans to integrate these capabilities with its existing human resources technologies, helping organisations identify skills gaps and…

Meta has parted ways with several employees recruited from AI safety startup Virtue AI, including its co-founders, approximately four months after bringing the team on board to strengthen its artificial intelligence safety and security capabilities. The departures include Virtue AI co-founders Bo Li, Dawn Song and Sanmi Koyejo, who joined Meta in June alongside other members of the startup’s team. The recruitment was viewed as part of Meta’s efforts to expand its expertise in AI safety as competition for specialised researchers and engineers intensifies across the technology industry. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone reportedly said the arrangement had not worked out…

Tata Chemicals Mithapur has launched Suraksha Gurukul, a dedicated safety training centre designed to strengthen workplace safety skills among employees, contractors, visitors and drivers at its facility. The centre has been developed over a two-year period and combines classroom-based learning with digital training, practical demonstrations, simulations and competency assessments. The programme is designed to give workers an opportunity to understand workplace hazards and practise appropriate responses in a controlled environment before encountering similar situations during operations. Driving Simulators for Safety Training One of the centre’s key features is its vehicle-driving simulation facility. Drivers can practise different road and workplace scenarios…

The Walt Disney Company is cutting around 300 jobs in its latest workforce reduction, with human resources and technology teams among the functions affected, according to reports. The latest cuts represent the second major round of job reductions since Josh D’Amaro became Disney’s CEO earlier this year and come as the entertainment company continues to reorganise its operations. Second Major Round of Cuts Disney previously announced workforce reductions in July affecting several parts of its business, including Pixar, National Geographic, ESPN, Disney Entertainment Television and Disney Studios. The latest changes form part of a broader restructuring associated with D’Amaro’s “One…

Axis Bank is planning to increase campus recruitment to between 12,000 and 12,500 employees in FY27, compared with around 11,500–11,600 hires in FY26, as the bank strengthens its early-career talent pipeline while adapting roles to the growing use of AI and automation. The planned increase comes even as the bank’s overall employee headcount declined during FY26. Axis Bank reported 101,337 employees at the end of FY26, compared with 104,453 a year earlier, representing a reduction of 3,116 employees. Despite the lower year-end workforce, the bank hired 31,665 employees during FY26, indicating significant movement within its workforce. Focus on Early-Career Talent…

Apple CEO John Ternus is reportedly considering targeted workforce reductions and project cancellations as part of an effort to streamline the company and focus resources on its key priorities. According to media reports, any layoffs under the new leadership are expected to be relatively limited in scale, with reductions potentially concentrated within larger teams. Some projects are also reportedly being reviewed or cancelled as Apple reassesses its allocation of employees and resources. Apple has not publicly announced a broad workforce reduction programme. Rising Component Costs Add Pressure The reported workforce review comes as technology companies face higher costs associated with…