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Microsoft preparing for new layoffs?
A new report from Fudzilla claims that Microsoft is getting ready to lay off 15,000 employees, or about 17% of its worldwide staff. The axe will apparently fall on January 15th, exactly one week before its second quarter earnings report, and they expect MSN division to be hit hardest, while the successful Xbox crew will probably make it out relatively unscathed. Meanwhile, an anonymous blogger who goes by the name Mini-Microsoft and claims to be an employee well-versed in the goings-on inside the company has been fielding questions from other purported Microsoft workers on recent cutback concerns. This past Monday he posted a handful of anonymous comments saying that the rumored layoffs aren't happening -- at least not in January -- although a re-organization might be in the cards. Both reports should be taken with a grain of salt, but one thing's for certain -- Windows 7 is gonna rule.[Via Joystiq]Read - Fudzilla reportRead - Mini-Microsoft
Motorola hastens layoff plans, axes 400 earlier than anticipated
The words "job security" and "Motorola" haven't coexisted in a non-sarcastic manner for quite some time, and things just seem to be deteriorating by the day. Not even two full months after the flagging company announced that 3,000 employees would be sent packing, a new Reuters report has it that the axing process in Q4 will be accelerated. Specifically, some 1,900 (versus 1,500 as originally predicted) will be cut in an attempt to save $800 million in 2009, though there's no word on how damaging the inevitable productivity losses will be given the markedly low morale. To no one's surprise, most of the Q4 cuts will be in the mobile devices segment; we're beginning to think Sad Moto Face™ here will never, ever vanish.[Via UnwiredView]
Confirmed: Free Radical lets over 100 employees go
Well, it would appear all of our excitement over a fourth TimeSplitters game is for nothing, as the rumored layoffs at Free Radical are in fact true. The company has let go of 75% of its workforce, which equals 140 employees. The company, with its remaining 40 people, are up for sale, with several companies showing a "strong interest."We hope that what's left of Free Radical manages to land somewhere decent, because we've been fans of their work for some time now. [Via Joystiq]
Confirmed: Free Radical lays off 140, 'For Sale' sign posted
It's now official: As of December 31, Free Radical will be 140 employees smaller, which is just over 75% of its workforce. The company and its remaining 40 or so members are now on sale with several companies showing "strong interest," according to the firm brought in to help with downsizing (who in our minds look a lot like the Bobs from Office Space). With the industry death toll rising, our hearts go out to all the developers (and everyone else, for that matter) who faced the tragic, proverbial / literal pink slip this year.
Sharp closing down two LCD panel production lines, hacking 380 jobs
It's not pulling a Sony or anything, but even Sharp has been unable to absorb the downturn in flat-panel demand. We already knew that the firm was looking to scale back production by as much as 10% from the middle of this month, and our deductive reasoning skills are leading us to believe that this is the cutback we've been expecting. The outfit will be closing down two LCD panel production lines in Japan in order to "move production to a newer and more cost-efficient plant as the global downturn hits demand for electronic goods." Along with the closings will come 380 job cuts -- all temporary workers -- which will presumably be sent home when the lines halt for the final time in January.
Turbine announces bi-coastal layoffs
It's been going around. Last week saw Sony dropping staff (again), though not from SOE. Now Turbine has announced an undisclosed number of staff cutbacks from their QA and Account Management divisions. Both the Massachusetts and California locations have been impacted by this. The company has specified that they are not looking to outsource these functions, merely reduce redundancies.Turbine has stated that there are no plans to reduce efforts going forward on Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online or any other projects. This is especially important considering the recent launch of Mines of Moria, the first expansion to LotRO. In fact, they are currently hiring - just in other departments.
Alcatel-Lucent cuts 1,000 jobs
It's not an easy time to be a provider of wired and wireless network infrastructure. Actually, let's be honest -- it's not an easy time to be in most any line of work -- but the infrastructure guys are having a particularly tough time right now, and it's definitely showing in Alcatel-Lucent's latest unfortunate move. The Paris-based company is trimming a grand worth of heads out of its 75,000-plus workforce and culling some 5,000 contractors, a move that it hopes will stop a cash hemorrhage that's been persistent since Alcatel's purchase of Lucent in 2006. The embattled CEO already stepped down earlier this year in a quest for profitability in a desperately brutal economy, so it stands to reason that there'll be some belt-tightening down below until they can right the ship -- but it's always sad to see the parent company of what remains of Bell Labs struggle to keep its head above water.
Analyst predicts "significant" job cuts in January, possible price drops for Sprint
Not even a month after Sprint began offering voluntary buyout packages to an unspecified number of employees and just weeks after John Garcia decided it best to extend his Thanksgiving holiday into forever, in flies an analyst report asserting that sweeping layoffs are just around the bend. Pali Research's Walter Piecyk also expects the carrier to reduce prices to pick up lost ground to rivals AT&T and Verizon Wireless. A company spokesman proclaimed that "nothing was off of the table" and that "every option" would be scrutinized, but as of now, no decisions have been nailed down around the 2009 budget plan. Better get on that, wouldn't you say?[Via CellPhonesMarket]
Sony lays off 16,000; will close factories
Sony announced today it plans to lay off 16,000 workers, close a handful of factories and reduce electronics investment by a third, as their comeback effort falls apart. Sony is both Apple's competitor in the mobile phone market and their partner for computer components, including batteries. "Five or six" factories will be closed, with only one named so far: Sony Dax Technology Center, in France. Several other factories in Japan will be closed, and one other abroad, according to the IDG News Service. 8,000 full-time employees will be laid off, along with another 8,000 temps and contractors. Those 16,000 people represent about nine percent of their workforce. Forbes.com's announcement of the layoffs attributed some of Sony's loss of revenue to Apple's dominance in the music player market, a torch Sony once carried. Sony hopes the moves will save them a billion dollars going into its next fiscal year, which starts in April.
Sony to shed 16,000 jobs, increase prices in bid to bolster profitability (Updated)
The bad news from the Japanese consumer electronics industry continues. Sony just announced plans to cut about 8,000 global jobs from its beleaguered electronics business while making unspecified reductions to its seasonal and temporary workforce. The move, as Sony explains it, comes "in response to the sudden and rapid changes in the global economic environment." Ominously, it looks like Sony will also be raising prices (blame Jay) in the countries where "Sony makes significant sales" (read: US and Europe) if we're reading this statement correctly:"Going forward, Sony intends to adjust product pricing to mitigate the impact of the appreciation of the yen." Sony is also delaying or at least curtailing some of its investments while planning to "downsize or withdraw from unprofitable or non-core businesses." All these moves are meant to cut operational costs by some $1.1 billion in operational efficiencies before the fiscal year closes on 31 March 2010.Update: Yup, we were right. According to Reuters, Sony will "raise prices on some electronics products in Europe from the beginning of 2009." Also, Bloomberg reports that 8,000 contract workers from the electronics division will also be shed for a total of 16,000 personnel added to the world's unemployment roster.
AT&T cutting 12,000 jobs due to "economic pressures"
AT&T may have about the best selection of choice handsets (smart or otherwise) available in the States right now, and continued iPhone exclusivity has definitely brought a windfall of new subscribers to its wireless division, but Ma Bell wasn't built on cell towers alone. There's still an extensive landline division to support, and it seems the company is leveraging the current economic doldrums to make it a little less so, joining the layoff crowd for the second time this year by shedding a further 12,000 workers (about 4 percent of its workforce), most said to be coming from passé, non-wireless sectors. So, happy holidays, folks -- hope those severance packages get you through the winter. [Via CellPhonesMarket.com; thanks, SK]
Adobe trimming Expo budget, 600 jobs [updated]
Macworld notes today that Adobe won't have a booth at Macworld Expo, but will still be offering training sessions at the conference. Traditionally, Adobe's booth has been a major presence on the show floor. The bad news might not end there: A tipster with purported connections inside Adobe told us that the company is considering laying off a significant fraction of its nearly 7,000 employees, including management. Update 4 p.m.: The axe fell a few hours ago at Adobe, according to two three former employees, but we don't know how widespread the damage is. Update 5 p.m.: Mike Downey, principal evangelist for the Flash, Flex and AIR products is "no longer with Adobe." Update 5:10 p.m.: Adobe issued a press release: "Adobe also announced the implementation of a restructuring program, and has taken steps to reduce its headcount by approximately 600 full-time positions globally. The restructuring will result in anticipated pre-tax charges totaling approximately $44 million to $50 million. The Company expects approximately $28 million to $30 million of the restructuring charges to be recorded in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2008." Read the full press release here. This points to some serious, knee-jerk cost-cutting at Adobe, since Macworld Expo has been so valuable to Adobe's relationship with the Mac user base in the past. "Adobe has decided to shift its focus at the Macworld trade show this year," the company said in a statement given to Macworld magazine. "Macworld [Expo] is a valuable industry show and we will still be an active part of it with members of our product team involved in Macworld tracks, including a full day of CS4 demo sessions with Adobe evangelists on Wednesday, January 7." Adobe Creative Suite 4 was released in October. [Via O'Grady's PowerPage.]
Tesla Motors burns out another as Darryl Siry signs off
Apparently the fear of snapping up another job after ditching the green fields of Tesla Motors isn't on Darryl Siry's mind, as the SVP of Marketing and Sales has publicly admitted to leaving the company over "disagreements in strategy." The news comes but 1.5 months after Elon Musk made himself CEO and told a few others to stay happy elsewhere, and while Darryl's replacement wasn't directly named, Siry does outrightly state that he has only remained on this long to recruit "a very strong successor." The best part of his farewell? This gem: "So what now? I have no immediate plans but look forward to exploring various opportunities that I find out there." Translation? I'm so loaded after my stint in this place, it doesn't even matter, holmes.[Via Autoblog]
Modu reportedly lays off around 25% of its employees
Who's praying now, Modu? The once cocky and altogether promising handset maker has apparently fallen on tough times, with a recent TalkingMobile report suggesting that around one-quarter of its staff (including a few executives) has been told to head home. The reason? Aside from the obvious "the economy" cop out, the company has also been hit hard by launch delays and the inability to land a carrier partner willing to shell out for promotions. Granted, this is far from the end of Modu -- there's still cash to be burnt and avenues to walk down, but we'd probably skip over it when sending out job applications right now.[Via IntoMobile]
Palm axes an undisclosed amount of employees, sort of blames itself
My, my -- how's this for truth in advertising? Palm InfoCenter has confirmed with a Palm spokesperson that the flagging outfit will be laying off an undisclosed amount of employees as the economy worsens and the firm attempts to keep that final nail from being slammed down on its coffin. According to the spokesperson, the company will undergo a certain amount of restructuring (sound familiar?) that will "result in company reductions in the US and internationally." Incredulously, the statement also included this gem: "The global economic downturn continues to dampen demand for consumer goods around the world, and the impact on the economic environment is worsened by our maturing Centro line and the length of time it is taking to ramp our new Windows Mobile products." We won't say for sure that it's actually taking some of the blame here, but it sure sounds like it. Now, if only it would take charge of its future...[Image courtesy of DayLife]
Virgin Mobile trims 10 percent of workforce
With acquisitions frequently come layoffs, and Virgin Mobile's submitting to that ages-old tradition today by announcing a workforce reduction of 45 folks in its New Jersey and California offices -- a total of about 10 percent of its 400-strong team. With the closure of the company's Helio buy, it makes sense that there'd be some redundancy, and indeed, the company cites Helio along with its transition to an IBM-contracted IT infrastructure as the justification for the layoffs. The move comes despite Virgin Mobile USA having post a strong quarter, so while Virgin appears to be in solid shape, they're making like most of corporate America and battening the hatches for a presumably brutal '09.
SK Telecom no longer casting glances in Sprint's direction
We've been hearing about a possible SK Telecom-Sprint tie-up since July of 2007, but if either firm ever hoped to actually tie the proverbial knot -- well, let's just say that ship has sailed. Given the weakening economy and the general tendency to resist taking risks right about now, the Korean giant has dropped its plans to partner with Sprint in any form or fashion. In related news, Sprint is looking to hop on the quickly expanding layoff bandwagon, but given its humongous Q3 loss, we suppose that's not totally illogical. We're told that the carrier is offering "voluntary buyout packages" to an unspecified number of employees, which is far more awesome than the "thanks, now get the hell out of here" line that's being handed down by so many other firms. Crazy times, we tell you.[Via Boy Genius Report]
UIQ Technology puts entire staff on notice of dismissal
Ugh, this is just downright depressing no matter how you spin it. Sure, it's just the reality of business and all, but it's no fun to hear that 270 staffers will soon be looking for employment when UIQ Technology finishes climbing into the grave. After hacking 200 jobs in June and being coined "dead" by Sony Ericsson's Patrick Olson, All About Symbian has it that the company has put its remaining employees "on notice of dismissal." We're told that SE has agreed to "continue funding the company on a by month by month basis in order to allow it to investigate options for the future," but from the outside looking in, we'd say the outlook is bleak. Thankfully, it sounds like those affected will at least be assisted as they exit, but now would probably be an opportune time to shed a tear for UIQ as we knew it.
SanDisk likely to cut 15% of staff as it downsizes
According to unnamed industry sources, SanDisk is primed to fire up to 15% of its staff, which would amount to around 450 to 500 employees. The purported cuts will be made as the company downsizes in order to cut costs, hot on the heels of a $155 million Q3 loss and sales that have sunk by 21% year-over-year to $281 million. Call us crazy, but we get the feeling this won't be the last story we hear over the next few months that ends with dutiful workers being sent home.[Image courtesy of Semiconductor]
Axe falls again at AMD, 500 more employees laid off
Merely seven months after AMD hacked 1,600 employees from its roster, we're seeing 500 more head for the exits. The latest round of layoffs at the Sunnyvale-based chip maker amounts to 3% of its global workforce, and according to spokesman Michael Silverman, the "headcount reduction is part of the company's efforts to reduce [its] cost structure." The firings come a month to the day after a breakup was announced, and they'll affect every division of the company save for the manufacturing operations -- which are, in fact, precisely what's being spun off. Just another day in paradise, eh AMD?[Via MarketWatch]
