layoffs

There have been layoffs at Current Media, the cable network co-founded by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.

A statement from Current put the number of layoffs at about 60 positions, with 30 more to be refilled, the company said in a statement. That's less of a hard hit than the 20 percent cuts that a source close to Current hinted to CNET News on Tuesday. The statement read: "Approximately 60 positions have been eliminated in the company's three U.S. offices, and approximately 30 new positions created," the statement read. "Many of those … Read more

Wired.com, the Internet arm of stalwart tech pub Wired magazine, has cut its staff by 10 percent and an unknown number of employees outside of editorial also were laid off, according to sources close to the company.

Out of 28 editorial positions, 3 employees were laid off, according to the sources. In an interview with CNET News, Evan Hansen, Wired.com's editor in chief, said the company downsized to prepare for the economic downturn.

"Revenues are expected to be up year over year but not as much as we expected," Hansen said. "We're concerned … Read more

Those keeping track of high-profile tech companies highly affected by the economic downturn can add BitTorrent to their list.

The San Francisco backer of the popular open-source file-sharing protocol on Friday gave pink slips to about half of its staff--18 people--according to a source cited by The New York Times' Brad Stone, and replaced CEO Doug Walker. The company had already endured a 22 percent layoff in August, which reportedly affected its entire sales and marketing department.

Chief Technology Officer Eric Klinker, who has "two decades of networking, content delivery, and management experience" under his belt, according to … Read more

Business-focused social-networking site LinkedIn announced Wednesday that it is cutting 10 percent of its workforce, or about 36 jobs, as part of a restructuring to focus on its revenue-producing businesses.

Company representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The layoffs follow LinkedIn's announcement last month that it had raised an additional $22.7 million in funding from Goldman Sachs, SAP, McGraw-Hill, and longtime investor Bessemer Venture Partners. That round followed a $53 million series D funding round in June that gave LinkedIn a valuation of $1 billion. The latest round of funding brings the total funds raised … Read more

Online video-sharing Web site Veoh announced Wednesday that it was laying off 20 percent of its workforce, or about 20 employees, in the face of a softening ad market.

A Veoh representative blamed the uncertain economic climate for the cuts, but insisted that company revenue was growing at a healthy clip.

"We know the realities of the market," spokeswoman Gaude Paez said Wednesday. "But no one knows how soft the ad market will get."

Paez went on to say that the company is "in good shape" and has "plenty of cash in the … Read more

Advanced Micro Devices announced Wednesday it had cut 500 employees, or about 3 percent of its workforce, in an effort to reduce expenses.

This is the second round of job cuts this year at the troubled chipmaker. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD announced in April that it would cut 10 percent of its workforce, or about 1,650 jobs at the time.

The current round of job cuts comes on the heels of a management and structural upheaval at the company. AMD CEO Hector Ruiz announced in July that he would step down from the helm of the company, and that … Read more

Update (November 6, 2008 at 5:10 AM PDT): A Novell spokesman contacted me to indicate the the Google translation is wrong. In fact, no employees were laid off. Offices were closed and employees have been asked to work from home.

Novell laid off employees close to its SUSE home in Germany and Austria, as reported in Silicon.de (Translation here), shuttering sales offices in Vienna, Munich, and Berlin. The number of employees laid off has not yet been made public.

Such layoffs, however, shouldn't necessarily be read as part of a broader cost-cutting move on Novell's part. … Read more

The jobs of around 600 Nokia employees are at risk, as the Finnish phone manufacturer begins making changes to its workforce in the wake of disappointing profits.

In a statement Tuesday, the company said it is planning changes in its sales and marketing unit, affecting around 450 employees. In addition, the R&D division will "sharpen its focus on fewer, but stronger, research areas," Nokia said, with around 130 Nokia Research Center jobs affected. The company is also planning "workforce adjustments" in its global process operations, affecting around 35 employees.

Nokia will also close its … Read more

Symantec will lay off an undetermined number of workers before the end of the year as part of a cost-cutting move in the economic downturn, a company spokesman said on Thursday.

The company, which gave guidance on Wednesday that was short of analyst expectations, plans a 4.5 percent cost savings in its workforce budget and will reduce the headcount enough to accomplish that, said spokesman Cris Paden.

Paden said he did not know how many employees would be laid off as a result, but said the layoffs will be global, will vary across geographies, and that no specific business … Read more