Can't you hold a gold-sucking animal in your hand? Naspers, a major shareholder of Tencent, plans to lay off 30% of its staff.

On the morning of January 26, Beijing time, it was reported that Tencent's major shareholder, Dutch technology investment company Prosus and its South African parent company Naspers, will make up to 30 per cent layoffs in the company's offices.

This has led to a further increase in the list of technology companies that have recently laid off a large number of people. Last week, Google's parent company, Alphabet, announced 12000 job cuts.

"We will adapt to the changes in the macro environment. We have been trying to improve the cost structure for some time." "We announced today the abolition of some positions as a result of focusing on specific areas and cutting costs," a Prosus spokesman said in a statement on Wednesday.

Prosus and Naspers have 15 offices around the world, with the largest two in Johannesburg and Amsterdam. Prosus and Naspers employ about 30, 000 people around the world, but most of them are employed by the companies they invest in. The spokesman said it was not possible to provide the total number of employees in the global office.

Prosus owns and operates some of the companies it invests in, including Brazilian takeout giant iFood and online classified advertising market OLX. The company also holds minority stakes in dozens of companies, including Delivery Hero.

These companies are making their own personnel decisions based on different time frames, according to people familiar with the matter.

There is no specific timetable for the layoffs.