TikTok to cut hundreds of UK content moderator jobs in pivot towards AI
The restructuring comes as the ByteDance-owned platform looks to leverage “technological advances,” including building capabilities in large language models (LLMs).
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TikTok is reportedly laying off hundreds of employees in London, with the bulk of the cuts affecting content moderation and security teams, according to a Financial Times report.
The Communication Workers Union estimates that the restructuring will result in the loss of around 300 jobs.
In an internal mail to staff, the Chinese-owned company said, "we are considering that moderation and quality assurance work would no longer be carried out at our London site." The company reportedly held a townhall with impacted employees on Friday.
TikTok added that the proposed changes are in line with its strategy to "concentrate expertise in specific locations," a move that will affect trust and safety teams not only in the UK but also in South and Southeast Asia.
The restructuring comes as the ByteDance-owned platforms looks to leverage "technological advances," including building capabilities in large language models (LLMs), the report added.
The layoffs follow TikTok's recent internal reshuffle, where it replaced US-based staff with China-based leaders to replicate the success of TikTok Shop in Asia, after the platform's American ecommerce arm fell short of $17.5 billion transaction target.
Meanwhile, regulatory pressure is mounting in the UK. The country’s new Online Safety Act, rolled out earlier this month, has imposed strict rules on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and X to protect children and remove illegal content.
In response, TikTok introduced stricter age verification features to shield minors from harmful content.
Despite these challenges, ByteDance remains ambitious. According to Bloomberg, the company is aiming for about 20% revenue growth in 2025, a pace that could put it in direct competition with Meta Platforms on the global stage.
