Lenovo, Dell and TDK layoff thousands, bum out thousands more

No longer content to sit on the sideline while companies like Logitech and Creative get all the press, Lenovo, Dell and TDK are all "restructuring." And you know what that means. Lenovo: cutting 11 percent of its work force. Dell: cutting 1,900 jobs, closing its plant in Limerick. TDK: cutting 8,000 jobs and closing four plants. This might be a tad depressing, but don't lose heart, people! As Sony's Gary Shapiro pointed out at the company's keynote this morning, tech companies "don't seek bailout money, we seek opportunity." After all, the company knows a thing or two about "opportunity."

Read: Lenovo Expects Quarterly Loss, Plans Job Cuts
Read: Dell to axe 1,900 jobs
Read: Japan's TDK to cut 8,000 jobs, close four plants
Read: Layoff Blog

Update: Shapiro is the President and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association. Our bad.

[gabe @ Jan 9th 2009 8:51AM]

it was the best of times, it was the blurst of times

[Flashpoint @ Jan 9th 2009 9:22AM]

Thank God this picture has predominatly Whites in it.

Or someone would claim that the editor who picked this picture was making a racial stereotype about bread/unemployment/welfare lines. Just like last month.

[Wii60 @ Jan 9th 2009 12:17PM]

Well, think about this-
Apple's not the only one about to lose Jobs!

[dark star @ Jan 9th 2009 9:03AM]

wow. thats actually the first quote that makes sense from a sony exec.

[Chris Anderson @ Jan 9th 2009 9:03AM]

Boy, am i happy to be an IT consultant right now....if there's one thing companies are attracted to right now, it's firing their internal IT staff and outsourcing to companies like mine. It sucks for anyone who gets laid off....it's so incredibly hard to find work right now.

[Frogmiint @ Jan 9th 2009 9:49AM]

Glad things are going so well at Douchebag Incorporated.

[OneLove @ Jan 9th 2009 11:32AM]

That's "Douchebag Consultanting Incorporated"...and, actually companies are holding onto their IT staff rather than paying high fees to DCI.

[Chris Anderson @ Jan 9th 2009 2:01PM]

It wasn't my intent to sound arrogant or douchy...i was expressing my relief at finding a great job when thousands of others are losing theirs. Unless you're one of those in-house guys, in which case I apologize. I can understand large and enterprise companies hanging onto their hired IT staff, but many small and medium businesses would much rather pay a fraction of their staff's salary to companies like mine in for specialized expertise in a multitude of different environments.

[dark star @ Jan 9th 2009 9:07AM]

i find the picture pretty funny. why was everyone dressed up in suites and looking nice when they were all lined up for free soup? is this how people dressed back then?

[melloncollie @ Jan 9th 2009 9:14AM]

How old are you? Seriously, you haven't learned anything about that era?
It had to do with pride mostly.

[vim and vinegar @ Jan 9th 2009 9:15AM]

yes. that's correct.

[From My Cube @ Jan 9th 2009 9:52AM]

ignorant uneducated douchebag is ignorant uneducated douchebag

[Zorque @ Jan 9th 2009 11:26AM]

During the '20s and '30s, men were considered underdressed if they didn't wear hats. Yeah, that's pretty much how people dressed back then.

[OneLove @ Jan 9th 2009 11:29AM]

"dressed up in suites"...education fail!. lol.

[dark star @ Jan 9th 2009 12:11PM]

i have no idea my intelligence, or lack of it, is measured by me misspelling "suits" and not knowing anything about 1920's.

while we are on the subject, can someone tell me why there are no women nor kids in the line? or is it just this photo??

[7on @ Jan 9th 2009 12:28PM]

Stop asking stupid questions. It's because women weren't allowed to work and all the kids were stealing the men's jobs.

[Brian! @ Jan 9th 2009 1:04PM]

Oh, how things have changed in history.

I guess you are just really, really young. See, a long time ago media didn't control people's lives like it does today. By this I mean that Americans socalized for their main entertainment. Today the majority of people stare at a TV or computer screen rather than go outside and mingle with their peers.

Due to the fact that humans socialized so much, dress became important. You can still see this type of human behavior going on in clubs and some fancier bars where people dress up hoping to meet someone. The difference is that everyone went out, not just single people looking for love or sex.

[racethesun @ Jan 9th 2009 9:24AM]

Engadget I know CES is a huge event and all but maybe just maybe... you should at least mention that Windows 7 beta is out today...

[melloncollie @ Jan 9th 2009 9:26AM]

It's not out yet and they've mentioned it quite a few times already.
Especially in the Microsoft keynote coverage.

[Ian G @ Jan 9th 2009 10:01AM]

Limerick is f@cked as a result of this though. It is estimated that some 15,000 jobs relied on the Dell plants, providing parts and services etc. Even the bus drivers will be lose their jobs. And there are no jobs to be found elsewhere in Limerick.

Still, at least I don't live there just at the moment. So hooray for being a student, boo for all the suffering this will cause.

[Jeff @ Jan 9th 2009 11:26AM]

I am sure Stab City will come up with a plan to take them all in. And anyways, the redundancy plans over there are pretty good - ~ 6wks of pay for every year you've worked there.

[Mike @ Jan 9th 2009 10:47AM]

I,m afraid many oif the younger viewers don't quite know what its like to go through a depression. It is hell.

[jinjin @ Jan 9th 2009 1:08PM]

how many depressions have you been through? this is the worse one since 1929 and some youngsters might not be working, but sure as hell feeling it too (school is a temporary safe haven har har)

[obijon @ Jan 9th 2009 11:11AM]

Dude, you're getting laid off.

[TechnoChill @ Jan 9th 2009 11:23AM]

Dude! you cracked me up - lol

[STINK @ Jan 9th 2009 12:12PM]

"Coffee and doughnuts and free WiFi access for the computers you don't build anymore"

*sobs*

[theCardinal @ Jan 9th 2009 12:33PM]

I'm from Limerick and the Dell closure means a loss of 15,000 ancilliary jobs. This in a town of only 90,000 people. It's a massive blow to the area's economy.

[eric_451 @ Jan 9th 2009 1:34PM]

more facts - Dell is Irelands biggest exporter and is/was 5% of our GDP i.e. massive blow and then some

[Teddy @ Jan 9th 2009 2:11PM]

I just read that production is going to Poland. I have a feeling that a lot of people in Ireland wish the iron curtain was still up.

http://www.evertiq.com/news/read.do?news=13145

[Bobby @ Jan 9th 2009 8:50PM]

That is because Poland lowered corporate taxes in 2009 and sales of Dells were boycotted there until they announced move.

[Jim C @ Jan 9th 2009 5:50PM]

Dude, proofread your headline. "Layoff" is a noun. "Lay off" is a verb.

[Mr. Recession @ Jan 9th 2009 10:47PM]

That pictures happening now just add color

[Al Bundy @ Jan 10th 2009 2:02AM]

whats Lenovo saving anyway? five US dollars? how much do chinese workers get paid anyway?