Amazon.com has cut around 180 jobs in its games division, at least the second round of layoffs in under a week by the online retailer and digital streaming provider in a broader restructuring, an email viewed on Monday by Reuters showed.

“After our initial restructuring in April, it became clear that we needed to focus our resources even more on the areas that are growing with the highest potential to drive our business forward,” said Christoph Hartmann, vice president of Amazon Games, in the Nov. 13 email.

The company began informing employees Monday morning that their roles had been eliminated, in the second cut to the division this year.

Amazon last week also began cutting jobs in its streaming music and podcast division, people familiar with the matter said. It also cut a very small number of jobs in its human resources unit known as People Experience and Technology, or PXT, the sources added.

The games division offers downloadable versions of many video games, on a monthly rotation, as well as some Twitch channels and other services. The company remains focused on developing and publishing games such as “Blue Protocol” and the free games offered within Prime Gaming, it said.

Prime Gaming is a perk offered as part of the $139 annual Prime membership that includes free shipping and free streaming video.

“We’ve listened to our customers and we know delivering free games every month is what they want most, so we are refining our Prime benefit to increase our focus there,” Hartmann said.

In April, Amazon cut about 100 jobs in the games unit.

Amazon’s third-quarter net income far surpassed analysts’ estimates and the Seattle-based company forecast revenue in the year’s final quarter roughly in line with expectations.

Amazon has cut more than 27,000 roles over the past year, part of a wave of U.S. tech layoffs after the industry hired too many people during the pandemic.

Hartmann, in his email, said the company is “actively recruiting” for other roles in the division.

“I recognize that this is the second time this year that you are hearing about org-wide team changes and seeing colleagues go, so let me be very clear when I say this: I remain confident in our future,” he said.

The Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) restricted all forms of head cover in the exam hall during recruitment exams for various boards and corporations to avoid malpractice.

Though the dress code does not explicitly ban hijab, it is implied by the new guidelines. The order said that this is part of the effort to stop exam malpractices using Bluetooth devices.

Earlier on November 6, a woman appearing for the Karnataka Public Service Commission examination was asked to remove her ‘mangalsutra’ before entering the exam hall.

After protests by Hindutva groups, the KEA has now allowed women to wear mangalasutra and toe rings in the examination hall while restricting other jewellery.

The recruitment exams of various boards and corporations are to be held on November 18 and 19 across the state.

Earlier in October, the Karnataka government had allowed students to wear the Hijab, during competitive exams. The Higher Education Minister MC Sudhakar had allowed aspirants to come to examination centres wearing the Hijab sparking off protests by right-wing groups.

However, after complaints of usage of Bluetooth devices by certain students the state government this time decided to enforce the ban.

The State government had on November 11 ordered a probe by the state CID into an incident where candidates at Kalaburagi and Yadgir examination centres allegedly used Bluetooth devices for writing the exams conducted by the KEA in October, 2023.

The exam dress code restricts girls from wearing high heeled shoes, jeans and T-shirts, while men are permitted to wear half-sleeve shirts which are not tucked into their trousers.

In 2022, the Supreme Court had upheld the Karnataka government’s decision on banning the Hijab in classrooms that came under the state. The State government had at the time also extended this order to other Board exams like Class X and XII as well as the Common Entrance Test conducted by the KEA.

Office space-sharing giant WeWork filed for bankruptcy in the United States last week, after the company struggled to recover from the effects of Covid-19 and its failed initial public offering in 2019. Even as the company is financially struggling, the company’s founder, Adam Neumann, has made headlines for his extravagant lifestyle. Notably, the American-Israeli entrepreneur was ousted after failing to take the company public through an initial public offering in 2019. But thanks to a hefty payout, Mr Neumann is now living in a ‘lavish’ new home in Florida while building his new company, The New York Post reported. 

The 44-year-old still has a net worth of $1.7 billion and owns millions in real estate. At present, he is living his best life in a luxurious mansion worth $40 million, with his wife Rebekah, and six children. He had purchased two Miami properties from local investor Joseph Imbesi for $44 million in an off-market deal, as per Fox News. A 14,500-square-foot house was being built on the property at the time and it is now where Mr Neumann and his family live full-time. The sprawling mansion boasts breathtaking waterfront views, opulent amenities, and extravagant features.

A source said, ”Adam skateboards all the time, all over town, taking business calls. Everybody runs into him — he’s very friendly. He stops and kibitzes with people.” He is currently looking for investors for another startup, claiming that it will reshape the world in the home this time.

As per The Post, Mr Newman is a close friend of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump and their children, who live 10 minutes away from their home. The couple are also said to be a big part of the Jewish community.

Prior to his departure from WeWork, Mr Newman had spent $90 million to purchase luxury residential real estate in the Hamptons, New York City, and Westchester County, New York, and San Francisco, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

Last year, Mr Neumann launched a new company called Flow that will operate in the residential real estate space.

Notably, Mr Neumann founded WeWork in 2010, and by 2019, it was worth $47 billion. When Mr Neumann left the company, a significant amount of wealth was accumulated as it prepared for another public offering- time through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). In 2021, Mr Neumann reportedly received $480 million from SoftBank for half of his remaining WeWork stock as part of that SPAC process. Overall, it is believed that Mr Neumann made over $770 million in cash from the 2021 SPAC process alone, despite having been removed from a management position years ago.

He recently stated that WeWork’s bankruptcy filing is “disappointing” and it has been hard for him to watch the company struggle. Meanwhile, a former WeWork staffer told The Post that the morale at the company is “horrific,” adding that “there is no company culture and everybody is just watching the stock go down, down, down.”