Netflix to lay off 1,000 staff

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1:06That's framer.com slash fcdaily. Rules and restrictions may apply. This episode is brought to you by ODSC AI. Join the thousands at ODSC West 2026 this October and be alongside the other AI practitioners and teams who are staying ahead of the field, learning from the best and connecting with the community. Now, if you work in applied AI and data science, you have to be there. ODSUS 2026 is happening in San Francisco, October 27th through the 29th. But you don't have to be there in person if you can't make it. You can also join virtually. So there's virtually no excuses not to participate in this hands-on training.

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2:14Again, ODSC West 2026 is happening October 27th through the 29th in San Francisco and virtually. Go to odsc.ai slash west and use promo code tcdaily for an additional 15 % off your pass to odsc.ai west 2026. That's odsc.ai slash west and use code tcdaily to get an extra 15 % off on the number one AI builders and training conference. Amid intensifying competition for user attention, Netflix plans to lay off 1 ,000 employees. I'm Imran Shaikh and your Daily Crunch featuring three big tech headlines starts right now. Streaming platform Deezer remains steadfast in its intent to help users avoid listening to AI-generated music.

2:57You see, the company on Tuesday said it's working on a new toggle that lets users filter out AI-generated music uploaded to its platform. The feature is expected to be available before the end of the year. Deezer said turning on the toggle will stop you from seeing AI-generated tracks, albums, and related artists in search results. We've seen clear user demand for the ability to filter out AI-generated music, and we are now giving everyone the option to remove this content completely from their streaming experience on Deezer and focus only on human creators and creations, if they wish, Deezer CEO Alexis Lanthornier said in a statement.

3:34He added that the explosion of AI music on the platform was one of the catalysts for the toggle-based features. The company cited a survey from last year which noted that around 45 % of Deezer customers wanted a way to remove AI music from their feeds. Deezer added AI detection tooling last year and has been reporting on the number of tracks being uploaded to the platform ever since. At that time, AI-generated tracks represented 10 % of daily uploads. In July, the company said that more than 50 % of daily uploads to its platform were AI-generated tracks, with an average of 90 ,000 tracks per day.

4:11Now, other music streaming services have also created their own policies in relation to AI music. Bandcamp has completely banned AI tracks, whereas Tidal cut off monetization for people uploading AI music. Spotify has taken a leaner stance, only tagging AI tracks and artists more prominently on its platform. Wallgang, Facebook is the latest social media platform to give users greater control over the algorithm that determines what appears in their feeds. You see, Meta announced the launch of its new AI-powered feature, Your Algorithm, on Tuesday, a feature it first launched on Instagram. The new tool allows Facebook users to influence the content they see in feed and reels by describing their preferences in their own words using natural language.

4:53Rather than relying entirely on automated recommendations, users can now communicate directly with the platform about the topics and content they want to see more or less frequently. According to Meta, the feature is designed to make content recommendations more relevant. Users can adjust their preferences and interact with the algorithms responsible for ranking and recommending posts, with changes reflected in their recommendations in real time. The company has also updated Facebook's three-dot menu, making it easier for users to manage their content preferences directly from individual posts.

5:27By opening the menu, users can access your algorithm or select the interested and not interested options to indicate whether particular content aligns with their preferences. Meta says the platform may ask follow-up questions to better understand what users like or dislike, allowing them to provide more detailed feedback. Users can explain what they want to see more or less of, helping Facebook refine its recommendations based on their responses. The introduction of your algorithm reflects Meta's broader effort to give people more influence over their social media experiences, as AI increasingly shapes content discovery.

6:03Now, the move signals a shift away from the traditional recommendation systems that have shaped social media experiences for years, bringing the platform closer to streaming services that allow users to personalize recommendations based on their interests and preferences. Oof, Netflix is laying off about 6 % of its employee base, or close to 1 ,000 staff, the company confirmed to TechCrunch. The streaming giant said most of the cuts would affect its product, tech, legal, and human resources departments. The company said it'll continue to invest aggressively in high-impact areas to improve its service and stated it is on track to deliver its full-year forecast.

6:41Netflix had 16 ,000 full-time employees as of the end of last year, according to its annual filing with regulators. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news, citing an internal memo sent to employees. Our mission, to entertain the world, is ambitious, and delivering on it requires us to be disciplined about where we prioritize our people and resources, the journal cited the company's co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters as writing in the memo. Now, the layoffs come in the wake of a protracted bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming and studio businesses that Netflix lost to Paramount's Skydance earlier this year.

7:19Netflix ostensibly saw great potential in Warner Bros. assets, which include its studios, HBO, streaming platforms, games, and TV networks such as CNN and HGTV. Long, the dominant TV app Netflix has in recent years faced intensifying competition from the likes of YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and other social apps to attract and keep users' eyeballs. According to reports from various market research firms, social apps like TikTok are catching up to Netflix when it comes to user engagement, and YouTube is said to have surpassed Netflix in average daily viewing in 2025. The streaming giant has been trying extensively to extract more value from its subscribers, raising prices, expanding its ad-supported tier, and investing in live events and sports, gaming, and children's programming to increase user engagement.

8:07It has also bet on AI-supported features, gaming, and video podcasts, and has dabbled in short-form video content alongside redesigning its mobile app to compete for users' attention with social media platforms. In 2025, Netflix reported revenue of$45.2 billion and said ad revenue had risen to over$1.5 billion. And folks, that's your Daily Crunch. Today's stories were reported by Ivan Mehta, Lauren Forrestal, Ram Iyer, and more awesome TechCrunch journalists. We'll see you here tomorrow. Same tech time, same Crunch channel. And until then, find us at TechCrunch.com.

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