Company Bending Spoons to Lay Off 75% of WeTransfer Staff - 1

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Company Bending Spoons to Lay Off 75% of WeTransfer Staff

  • Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
  • Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor

The tech company Bending Spoons recently confirmed its plan to lay off 75% of the staff of its recently acquired business WeTransfer, a Dutch company founded in the Netherlands in 2019.

TechCrunch reached out to Bending Spoons—also parent company to the online platforms Meetup and Evernote—to confirm the rumors of layoffs. The Italian-based business admitted that an upcoming round of layoffs will come after the analysis of the different regulations of the countries where the staff—estimated around 350 members—is located.

WeTransfer was acquired earlier this year, in July, but the price was not disclosed. Luca Ferrari, Bending Spoons CEO, explained that after acquiring a company, they go through its structure and design a vision for its future.

“Once the vision is clear, we try to close the gap between the status quo and the vision as quickly and as fully as we can,” said Ferrari to TechCrunch, “Typically, doing so involves making major changes to many areas, including the organization. While we don’t enjoy making painful or unpopular decisions, we’re prepared to do so when we believe it’s the right thing to do to help the business thrive.”

According to Reuters , Ferrari also said that they couldn’t provide more information on the future of the company at the moment. “I won’t be more specific at this stage because the layoff hasn’t been fully defined yet,” said Ferrari on Sunday.

In August, WeTransfer announced a new mobile update , the platform now allows users to extend the validity of a link, an innovative feature since the company was known for its fast-expiring links.

Audible Introduces AI-Powered Voice Replica Technology For Narrators - 2

Image by Elf-Moondance, from Pixabay

Audible Introduces AI-Powered Voice Replica Technology For Narrators

  • Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
  • Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor

The voice replica technology will allow narrators to take on more projects simultaneously, ensuring a steady stream of income. Narrators will still have full control over the projects they choose to audition for and can use either their live voice or the AI-generated replica.

To create a voice replica, narrators will submit a sample recording, which ACX, Audible’s content distribution platform, will transform into a high-quality digital representation. This replica can then be used to narrate audiobooks, with narrators maintaining the ability to edit pronunciation and pacing for optimal results.

Audible emphasizes that the voice replica technology is designed to benefit both narrators and authors. The company will closely monitor the impact of the beta on its catalog and community and has implemented a labeling system to indicate titles narrated using AI-generated voices.

This development mirrors recent advances in other areas of the entertainment industry, such as the Hollywood union SAG-AFTRA’s recent agreement with Narrativ , which allows actors to license their digital voice replicas to advertisers.

This agreement ensures actors maintain control over the use of their voices, addressing concerns about AI’s impact on their livelihoods.

Both SAG-AFTRA’s deal and Audible’s beta prioritize creators’ rights to approve projects using their voice replicas, highlighting the growing need for consent and fair compensation in AI-driven content creation.