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June 16, 2009 10:46 AM PDT

Tech layoffs: The scorecard

by Rafe Needleman

With the overall economy slumping, the tech industry is taking its fair share of hits. We'll keep updating the chart below as news of company changes comes in. See our complete coverage of how the tech sector is faring here: Tracking the tech downturn.

Know of a layoff not listed here? Let us know on this form or e-mail us.

Company Date How many Further reading
MySpace 06/16/2009 30 percent MySpace slashes head count by 30 percent
Seagate Technology 05/13/2009 1,100 (2.5 percent) Seagate lays off 1,100 employees
Microsoft 05/05/2009 3,000 Microsoft sends 2nd wave of layoff notices
Hutchinson Technology 04/28/2009 2,000 in total (44 percent) Hutchinson Tech to cut more jobs
Freescale Semiconductor 04/23/2009 900 Freescale to cut 900 jobs
Yahoo 04/21/2009 675 (5 percent) Yahoo plans layoff after profit plunges
Toshiba 04/17/2009 3,900 More job cuts at Toshiba
IDC 04/17/2009 82 (5 percent) Analysis firm IDC cuts 5 percent of staff
Sony Ericsson 04/17/2009 2,000 Sony Ericsson to lay off 2,000 more workers
Wired.com 04/02/2009 3 (12 percent) Wired.com lays off 12 percent of staff
Agilent Technologies 03/27/2009 2,700 Agilent laying off 2,700
Google 03/26/2009 200 Google cuts nearly 200 sales, marketing jobs
IBM 03/26/2009 5,000 IBM job cuts hit applications services unit, says union
OptiSolar 03/23/2009 200 OptiSolar closes plant
Energy Conversion Devices 03/17/2009 70 Solar stocks go red as gear maker warns
Nokia 03/17/2009 1,700 Nokia job cuts become reality
Spot Runner 03/14/2009 60 Spot Runner...another 60 to lose jobs
National Semiconductor 03/11/2009 1,725 (25 percent) National Semi to cut a fourth of workforce
Dell 03/11/2009 unknown Layoffs to hit another Dell plant
RIAA 02/26/2009 Up to 25 Sources: RIAA cuts up to 25 jobs
Enfatico 02/25/2009 80 (8 percent) Dell ad agency Enfatico lays off workers
Nortel Networks 02/25/2009 3,200 Nortel cuts another 3,200 jobs
Spansion 02/23/2009 3,000 (35 percent) Spansion cuts 3,000 employees
Micron Technology 02/23/2009 Up to 2,000 Micron to cut up to 2,000 more jobs
Google 02/12/2009 40 Google scraps radio ads
Pioneer 02/12/2009 10,000 Pioneer leaving the TV business
Nokia 02/11/2009 410; 500-700 rotating Nokia cuts production, closes facility
Forrester 02/09/2009 50 (5 percent) Forrester to lay off 5 percent
MPAA 02/05/2009 unknown Source: 'Significant' layoffs at MPAA
Cisco Systems 02/04/2009 Up to 2,000 Cisco: Making lemonade from economic lemons
Panasonic 02/04/2009 15,000 Panasonic to cut 15,000 jobs
Electronic Arts 02/03/2009 1,100 (11 percent) EA cutting 1,100 jobs
NEC 01/30/2009 20,000 (13 percent) NEC to cut workforce by 20,000
Novell 01/30/2009 100 (3 percent) Novell lays off just under 100 workers
Teradyne 01/30/2009 532 Boston.com: Teradyne will shed 532 jobs
Citrix Systems 01/30/2009 490 (10 percent) Citrix to reduce staff by 10 percent
STMicroelectronics 01/28/2009 4,500 STMicro reports loss, lays off 4,500
AOL 01/28/2009 700 AOL to lay off 700 employees
SAP 01/28/2009 3,000 SAP plans job cuts, despite solid earnings
News Corp. 01/26/2009 100 News Corp. lays off 5 percent at digital unit
Texas Instruments 01/26/2009 12 percent Texas Instruments cutting jobs as profits plunge
Sprint Nextel 01/26/2009 8,000 Sprint Nextel to cut 8,000 jobs
Philips 01/26/2009 6,000 Philips to cut 6,000 jobs
IBM 01/24/2009 More than 2,800 IBM quietly lays off North American staff
Microsoft 01/22/2009 5,000 Microsoft cutting 5,000 jobs on weak results
Ericsson 01/21/2009 5,000 (6 percent) Ericsson to cut 5,000 jobs
Logitech 01/19/2009 550 to 600 Logitech to cut up to 600 jobs
AMD 01/16/2009 1,100 (9 percent) AMD to trim 1,100 jobs, initiate temporary pay cuts
Autodesk 01/15/2009 750 (10 percent) Autodesk to cut 750 jobs, lowers earnings outlook
Cymer 01/15/2009 100 (10 percent) AP: Cymer to cut jobs, spending as demand plummets
Motorola 01/14/2009 4,000 (6 percent) Motorola plans another round of layoffs
Plantronics 01/14/2009 18 percent Plantronics to layoff 18% of global workforce
PlanetOut 01/14/2009 50 percent Sources: Heavy layoffs at PlanetOut
Google 01/14/2009 100 Google lays off 100 recruiters
Oracle 01/14/2009 500 Report: Oracle cuts workforce by 500
GreenFuel Technologies 01/13/2009 19 (50 percent) Algae front-runner GreenFuel slashes staff
Lexmark 01/13/2009 375 Bloomberg: Lexmark sales miss forecast; 375 job cuts planned
Seagate 01/12/2009 800 (10 percent) Seagate replaces Watkins as CEO
Dell 01/08/2009 1,900 Dell's Ireland plant to shed 1,900 jobs
Lenovo 01/08/2009 2,500 (11 percent) Lenovo to cut 2,500 jobs amid restructuring
One Laptop Per Child 01/07/2009 32 (50 percent) OLPC slashes workforce in half, cuts salaries
Motion Computing 01/07/2009 30 (25 percent) Motion Computing cuts about 30 workers
EMC 01/07/2009 2,400 (7 percent) EMC to cut 2,400 from workforce
Turning Technologies 01/07/2009 31 Vindy.com: Turning Tech layoff hits 31
Borland Software 01/06/2009 130 (15 percent) VMware hires away Borland CEO
HelioVolt 01/06/2009 15 Two Austin employers announce job cuts
LiveJournal 01/06/2009 About 12 LiveJournal deletes 'about a dozen' jobs
Logitech 01/06/2009 15 percent of salaried staff worldwide Logitech to slash 15 percent of workforce
Lenovo 01/05/2009 200 staff in Beijing offices Lenovo rumored readying layoffs
Microsoft 01/01/2009 Unknown Microsoft planning big layoffs for January?
AMD 12/28/2008 100 additional, making 600 total since November AMD cites $70 million in fourth-quarter costs
Unisys 12/22/2008 1,300; 4 percent Reuters: Unisys slashes 1,300 jobs
Western Digital 12/17/2008 2,500; 5 percent Reuters: Western Digital warns on revenue, will cut jobs
Midway Games 12/16/2008 180; 25 percent Reuters: Midway Games to cut jobs, take charge
Laird 12/16/2008 5,000; nearly 50 percent Reuters: Laird announces 5,000 job losses as sales slump
WebMD 12/16/2008 4 percent to 5 percent PaidContent: WebMD to cut up to 5% of staff
Gaia Interactive 12/15/2008 13 percent VentureWire: Gaia lays off staff
Alcatel-Lucent 12/12/2008 1,000 managers, 5,000 contractors Big revamp for Alcatel-Lucent, with Web 2.0 spin
CBS Interactive 12/11/2008 Undisclosed All Things D: CBS Interactive/CNET Re-Org: The Complete Memo
SGI 12/11/2008 225; 15 percent Silicon Graphics adjusts business plan
Yahoo 12/10/2008 1,520 Yahoo pink slips issued, recruiters circling above
Sony 12/09/2008 16,000 total Sony to lay off 8,000 full-timers, 8,000 others
Netflix 12/08/2008 50 people Neflix cuts 50 tech jobs; streaming issues linger
Level 3 Communications 12/08/2008 450; 8 percent Denver Business Journal: Level 3 cutting 450 jobs
BMC Software 12/05/2008 350 (6 percent) AP: BMC Software to cut 350 jobs, 6% of workforce
RealNetworks 12/04/2008 130 (7 percent) Sources: Layoffs hit RealNetworks
Viacom 12/04/2008 850 (7 percent) Viacom lays off 7 percent of workforce
AT&T 12/04/2008 12,000 (4 percent) AT&T lays off 12,000
Adobe 12/03/2008 600 Adobe warns of shortfall, job cuts
Carlyle Group 12/03/2008 about 100 (10 percent) Bloomberg: Carlyle Cuts 10% of Workers, Including U.S. LBO Jobs
Analog Devices 12/03/2008 about 20 EE Times: Analog Devices shutters DSP design center
Sage North America 12/03/2008 150 Sage North America Reports 2008 Results
Gawker Media 12/02/2008 "a few" Gawker Media's rolling layoffs continue
Intrinsyc 12/01/2008 95 (30 percent) 680 News: Intrinsyc cuts global workforce 30 percent
Fring 11/27/2008 10 (20 percent) Fring cuts staff by 20 percent
Technorati 11/25/2008 6 (12 percent) Technorati trims workforce, cuts pay
TiVo 11/25/2008 7 percent TiVo profits from EchoStar litigation
Palm 11/21/2008 up to 10 percent of 1,050 Palm orders layoffs as Apple and RIM take toll
Buzznet 11/21/2008 10 (11 percent) Valleywag: Music community Buzznet lays off 10
LodgeNet 11/21/2008 170 Argus Leader: LodgeNet cutting jobs
Lam Research 11/20/2008 600 (15 percent) Reuters: Chipmaker Lam Research cuts 600 jobs
Akamai 11/20/2008 7 percent Akamai to cut 7 percent of workforce
Lawson Software 11/19/2008 200 (5 percent) AP: Lawson Software shares tumble after job cuts
Pillar Data Systems 11/18/2008 150 (30 percent) SJ Mercury News: Pillar Data Systems lays off 30% of staff
KLA-Tencor 11/18/2008 900 (15 percent) SF Business Times: KLA-Tencor to cut 15% of people
Sun Microsystems 11/14/2008 6,000 (15 percent to 18 percent) Sun restructures, lays off up to 6,000
Rearden Commerce 11/14/2008 10 percent Valleywag: Rearden Commerce cuts 50 people
Applied Materials 11/12/2008 1,800 (12 percent) Applied Materials cutting 12 percent of workforce
National Semi 11/12/2008 330 Reuters: Nat Semi cuts revenue view, plans job cuts
Wired.com 11/11/2008 3 of 28 Wired.com trims editorial staff by 10 percent
Current Media 11/11/2008 20 percent Layoffs hit Al Gore's Current Media
Six Apart 11/11/2008 8 percent Six Apart: Changes at Six Apart
Tucows 11/11/2008 15 percent Restructuring at Tucows
Circuit City 11/10/2008 20 percent Circuit City files for bankruptcy
BitTorrent 11/10/2008 50 percent After a tough year, BitTorrent replaces CEO again
Insight 11/10/2008 240 (4 percent) East Valley Tribune: Insight Enterprises lays off 240
Honeywell 11/07/2008 700 Phoenix Business Journal: Honeywell moving 700 jobs out of Phoenix
Zappos 11/06/2008 8 percent Letter to Zappos employees
Veoh 11/05/2008 20 (20 percent) Veoh lays off 20 percent of workforce
LinkedIn 11/05/2008 36 (10 percent) LinkedIn slashes 10 percent of its workforce
Cadence 11/05/2008 625 (12 percent) Cadence Design cuts 625 jobs
Anadigics 11/05/2008 100 (15 percent) Anadigics cuts 15 percent of workforce
AMD 11/05/2008 500 (3 percent) AMD slashes 500 more jobs
Nokia 11/04/2008 600 Hundreds of Nokia jobs under threat
THQ 11/03/2008 4 to 5 studios Kotaku: THQ Shuttering Four to Five Studios?
Tektronix 11/03/2008 150 Tektronix announces fresh layoffs
Spot Runner 11/03/2008 115 (about 30 percent) TechCrunch: 115 people lose their jobs at Spot Runner
Nortel Networks 11/03/2008 1,300 (5 percent) Nortel earnings tank
YouSendIt 10/31/2008 20 percent VentureBeat: YouSendIt trims 20 percent of staff
Aliph 10/31/2008 25 people Layoffs hit Bluetooth headset maker Aliph
Motorola 10/30/2008 3,000 Motorola's struggle for survival
Freescale 10/30/2008 2,400 (10 percent) Freescale dragged to loss; will lay off 10%
Symantec 10/29/2008 4.5 percent cost savings Symantec layoffs coming
Avalanche Studios 10/28/2008 77 of 160 Avalanche Studios lays off nearly half of staff
Revision3 10/27/2008 9 people, 5 shows Video start-up Revision3 joins the layoff club
Helium 10/27/2008 30 percent of 110 F***dStartups: Helium.com huge layoff
BroadSoft 10/24/2008 about 12 GigaOM: BroadSoft cuts jobs as sales slow
Comcast Spotlight 10/24/2008 300+ of 3,500 Broadcasting & Cable: Comcast Spotlight cuts positions
ADC Telecoms 10/23/2008 300-350 AP: ADC expects fiscal 2008 loss, plans job cuts
Xerox 10/23/2008 3,000 Xerox to cut 3,000 jobs
Avid Technology 10/23/2008 500 Form 8-K: Results of Operations and Financial Condition...
Nokia 11/04/2008 600 Hundreds of Nokia jobs under threat
Tektronix 11/03/2008 150 Tektronix announces fresh layoffs
Spot Runner 11/03/2008 115 (about 30 percent) TechCrunch: 115 people lose their jobs at Spot Ru
Circuit City 11/03/2008 17 percent Circuit City to close 155 stores
THQ 11/03/2008 4-5 studios Kotaku: THQ Shuttering Four to Five Studios?
Break.com 10/23/2008 11 of 80 Break.com lays off 11
Eons 10/23/2008 8 of about 33 The Boston Globe: Eons eliminates eight jobs
Dell 10/22/2008 8,900 The Register: Dell: 'We will out-pace the rest of the industry'
SanDisk 10/22/2008 TBA SanDisk layoffs in the works
ManiaTV 10/22/2008 20 of 70 NewTeeVee: ManiaTV lays off 20, to reduce orig
iMeem 10/22/2008 25 percent of 80 Imeem jumping on the layoff bandwagon
Mahalo 10/22/2008 10 percent Calacanis.com: Tough times, hard decisions
HP 10/22/2008 24,600 over three years HP to slash 24,600 jobs following EDS buy
Ticketmaster 10/21/2008 35 percent F***edStartups: TicketMaster.com laying off 35%
Comcast 10/21/2008 300 AP: Comcast to cut up to 300 jobs in eastern di
Manhattan Associates 10/21/2008 6.5 percent Reuters: Manhattan Associates hit by slump
Softchoice 10/20/2008 6.5 percent of 958 Toronto Star: Softchoice cuts staff by 6.5 percent
Veoh 10/20/2008 0 UPDATE: Layoffs at Veoh, or not?
Wikia 10/20/2008 3 UPDATE based on personal interview with Jimmy Wales
Autotrader 10/20/2008 69 Orlando Business Times: Autotrader to close c
Texas Instruments 10/20/2008 possibly 300 TXCN: Hundreds face pink slips at TI
Sony Ericsson 10/17/2008 2,000 globally Bloomberg: Sony Ericsson Reports Smaller Loss Than Anticipated
Sprint 10/17/2008 ongoing KMBC-TV: Sprint plans 'gradual layoffs'
Jaxtr 10/17/2008 13 13 employees laid off at VoIP start-up Jaxtr
Zivity 10/17/2008 33 percent Zivity lays off a third of staff
Zillow 10/17/2008 25 percent Zillow lays off 25 percent of staff
SearchMe 10/17/2008 20 percent Search engine startup SearchMe cuts 20 perce
Heavy 10/17/2008 14 percent Downturn strikes again: Heavy lays off 14%
Lenovo 10/17/2008 50 in Morrisville, N.C. WRAL: Lenovo to lay off 50 workers at Morrisville headq
MPC Computers 10/17/2008 200 Idaho Business Review: Details released on MP
Hi5 10/16/2008 10 percent to 15 percent No Hi5's today
Sirius XM 10/16/2008 50 Sirius XM makes cuts to XM in D.C.
Pandora 10/16/2008 20 Pandora cuts 20 employees
Adbrite 10/16/2008 40 percent 'Layoffs are not a statement about performance'
Actel 10/16/2008 10 percent EE Times: Actel cuts 10% of workforce
Tesla Motors 10/15/2008 Detroit office Automaker lays off Detroit office with blog post
SkyRider 10/15/2008 All P2P start-up SkyRider has shut down
Appcelerator 10/15/2008 6 Tough times, tough decisions
Jive Software 10/14/2008 33 percent Jive Software lays off 1/3 of staff
Redfin 10/14/2008 20 percent Redfin blames economy in layoffs
Qimonda 10/13/2008 3,000 Qimonda: Qimonda announces global restructuring program...
Seesmic 10/10/2008 7 Tough times. Tough decisions
Lulu 10/09/2008 24 Lulu cuts jobs as revenues slow
Micron 10/09/2008 15 percent Micron to cut workforce by 15 percent, slash flash output
eBay 10/06/2008 1,000 eBay buys Bill Me Later, lays off 1,000
Gawker Media 10/03/2008 14 percent Gawker Media to lay off 14 percent of editorial
Entellium 10/03/2008 95 percent Workers get ax at software maker Entellium

If you want a real-time view into the world of layoffs, use this Twitter search. But we recommend having a stiff drink first.

Rafe Needleman writes about start-ups, new technologies, and Web 2.0 products, as editor of CNET's Webware. E-mail Rafe.
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tech downturn

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Add a Comment (Log in or register) Showing 1 of 2 pages (57 Comments)
by solracotto October 21, 2008 3:12 PM PDT
To all of those folks who put a deposit down, good luck.
Reply to this comment
by affinity13 October 21, 2008 3:24 PM PDT
The tech industry seems to be a flip of a coin. Some companies are still doing well (revenue wise, all are hurt if they are publicly traded), where as others are getting hit really hard. With out doing any real digging looks like mid and top tier software companies are weathering this storm better than online companies and hardware vendors. Again I haven't done any real digging to trend these markets.
Reply to this comment
by ddoxiadis October 21, 2008 3:40 PM PDT
So...what was that about a tech skills shortage? How about the need to encourage more students into science and technology careers?
Reply to this comment
by The_Decider November 14, 2008 10:07 AM PST
There is still a shortage of good tech skills. The emphasis is on good.
by BigGuns149 January 29, 2009 11:07 AM PST
I definitely don't think that there is a shortage of employees for entry level IT work, but that doesn't mean that there isn't a shortage of people in other technical fields. As the The_Decider notes there are still plenty of tech jobs particularly in the more difficult jobs. Furthermore, just because there are a lot of layoffs going on right now doesn't mean that a student entering college right now should shun studying a technical field. Virtually every sector of the economy is bleeding jobs in the US right now so this isn't something specific to the tech sector like the dot-com bust in 2000, which largely affected tech companies. In 4 years a lot can change, but you can't second guess yourself forever. At some point you need to pick a career path.
by renGek June 16, 2009 12:30 PM PDT
What the politicians and upper management really want to say but can't is: shortage of good & "cheap" tech workers. But like anything else, you get what you pay for.

We should also remember that when there is a downturn companies don't necessarily lay people off because they are in financial trouble. Its also an opportunity to "clean house" and get rid of all those problem employees. You know the ones I'm talking about. We all work with them. They don't do jack when you ask them to because they are too busy surfing dating sites.
by thepoetrydude October 21, 2008 8:17 PM PDT
funny where I'm at. I went to college and got my A.S. in PC support/ repair etc and it doesn't amount to a hill a beans. Companies here are being flooded my tech graduates, if you will. with most of those going to kids willing to work for close to minimum wage w/ or w/o education in the field. I do quite well in retail sales with a focus on tech though
Reply to this comment
by The_Decider November 14, 2008 10:06 AM PST
Of course it isn't worth a hill of beans. An AS in PC support is to a computer science grad as a auto mechanic is to an engineer.

PC support and repair are low end jobs and the pay matches that.
by BigGuns149 January 29, 2009 11:17 AM PST
I agree that an AS while not completely meaningless doesn't do much to differentiate you from the masses. That is about enough knowledge to get you some entry level job at a computer repair shop, which these days doesn't pay so great. Even then in the current economy you are competing against a lot of people with more education and probably more experience (ie. you aren't likely to get the job).

10-15 years ago when computers were worth a lot more in both real and nominal dollars it made a lot more sense to fix them. The average cost of a computer has became so inexpensive that often times the only thing most people will pay a tech to do anymore is transfer data off of an old computer and onto a new computer. Individuals data is worth something to them, but the computer isn't worth much to them when they can get a new and better computer for only slightly more than it would cost to fix their old one. Between declining interest in repairing machines and increased general knowledge of most users what used to be a decent job that one could get without a college education is now only slightly better paying than working retail.
by Galaxy5 October 22, 2008 1:13 PM PDT
Layoff counter?

Not cool. At all. People get hurt by this stuff and there's a lot of resentment against the executives who make it possible and the pundits who make light of it - I'd suggest you back off a bit. Body counts are never in good taste.
Reply to this comment
by teachtopia October 27, 2008 7:43 PM PDT
Kind of agree with the comment begin made here. It almost seems like there is spectacle being made out of the losses.
by pauljweighell December 5, 2008 2:07 AM PST
its not meant to be 'cool'. without numeric data rumours and silly predictions are far more worrying. we all know its bad so let us please have numeric fact in a clear table.
well done cnet!
by jlt0x January 22, 2009 8:19 AM PST
I guess the listed companies AREN'T in business to make money....

What the media isn't saying lately is that most companies are severely overstaffed. Many of the major firms need to be reorganized to better process the day-to-day operations and streamline the overall work flow based on demand. The staffing cuts were inevitable the day it was announced that housing/financial/mortgage sectors were declining daily.

Many large budget cuts to the Education sector by the govt resulted in a lot of students not pursuing the longer-track fields that can command higher salaries for a more stable position. I feel bad for those laid off with no way to sell their homes.
by fdunn3 October 23, 2008 4:59 AM PDT
I agree with "Galaxy5" in that "Body counts are never in good taste."

No need for a detailed spreadsheet, just do an article on the company's press release.

This not only hurts those affected but demoralizes those involved in the sector.

Kind of reminds me of when the soldiers were looking through the dog tags of the dead in "Saving Private Ryan" and it started to become a game.

This is not a game. These are REAL people with REAL families.
Reply to this comment
by yufame November 12, 2008 3:12 PM PST
"This is not a game. These are REAL people with REAL families". Fantastic
by upuaut January 26, 2009 12:09 PM PST
Have we become such biscuits we can't handle reality?
Get 'real'
by Thomas, David February 24, 2009 4:42 AM PST
Without real numbers, and real comparisons, it isn't real.

Posting the data sticks it in your face. You can't hide from it.
by BMacK13311 October 23, 2008 7:29 PM PDT
How many of the companies not on this list make more than Obama's 250K per year? My guess is nearly all of them in the tech industry. While your votes against his redistributionist tax plan might not protect your jobs (being in California), you have the media to lead a larger nationwide rejection of his arbitrary tax increase. The (evil...according to the left) CEO's, and board members of your companies are going to have to cut costs to offset the tax increase. Where do you think they will start? Their salaries? HA. You might not make over the 130K of personal income that is the estimated threshold for his tax increase on individuals, but with his increase on your company, you might not make any money at all next year... Rafe is right, campaign in a swing state... against OBAMA.

In Liberty
Reply to this comment
by fdunn3 October 24, 2008 9:36 AM PDT
Ok Sarah, don't start politcal threads.
by jandler October 24, 2008 1:10 PM PDT
I just remember someone 150K closet.
by UNNNNHAHAH November 14, 2008 10:40 AM PST
BMack: "How many of the companies not on this list make more than Obama's 250K per year? My guess is nearly all of them in the tech industry."

Retard, Obama's tax policies referred to PERSONAL income tax, not corporate taxes. All of the tech companies discussed on this page are publicly traded, and even those that aren't are almost certainly incorporated as C or S corps. None of them would be affected by an increase in the marginal tax rate for individuals.

As for your comment on the "130K of personal income that is the estimated threshold for his tax increase on individuals," where did you get that? He said it would not apply to anyone making less than $250K.

Typical Contard just makes stuff up and raves about things he doesn't even understand.
by biffhenerson January 5, 2009 1:13 PM PST
UNNNHAHAH, who's the retard? S-Corporations, the majority of small businesses, pass their income on to the owner as PERSONAL income. Thus Obama's tax policy will hit the majority of S-Corporations. Get your taxation education then you will see how Obama will rob us all.
by FruitSpikeAndMoon January 7, 2009 9:01 PM PST
'Cause the 95% who will get a tax cut are typically so good at saving it rather than spending it to stimulate the economy, including small businesses.

Obama intends to reverse the Bush tax cuts for the top %5, while cut taxes for everyone else. The plan is a net tax cut. On the whole, the government gets less tax revenue as a percentage of the nation's total income than it would without Obama's plan.

I'm guessing the 130K number is for single individuals rather than jointly-filing households (250K). If this is the case (and 130K actually is the correct number for this), then I should not care that 130K is half of 250K because the person earning 130K is supporting half as many people or fewer as the family earning 250K.

This might be moot for the first half of Obama's presidency anyway - with the downturn, he seems to be leaning towards letting the tax cuts expire rather than repealing them early as promised.
by Thomas, David February 24, 2009 4:48 AM PST
Holy cow, just how incredibly stupid are some of you!

First, nearly all these companies being listed are NOT chapter S. In fact, NONE of these companies this article covers is about chapter S corporations!
by solitare_pax October 24, 2008 4:58 PM PDT
Those are some scary numbers - I hope some of the folks being shown the door will show their ex-bosses and come up with the next great thing which makes Apple, Google and Microsoft seems like second stringers.

Unlikely, but then you never know what will come out of someone's garage...
Reply to this comment
by rksarkar_crri October 24, 2008 8:48 PM PDT
When management people get upperhand compared to the technocrat, it is happen. Economy would be be stronger if basic industry and production system improve. A society can not exist if full freedom is given, little restriction is to be applied for future collapse. Country-wise the impact of economic Recession will vary, one should looks on this and thinks for future.
Reply to this comment
by don544 October 25, 2008 2:17 PM PDT
What is it I should worry about ,geek land and other white collars ignored the rest of the world when it happened .
My governor Granholm a dem has run over 400k jobs out of the state and here is what she had to say at the beginning of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PdHC9kAJK4
Reply to this comment
by Canberra-photographer October 27, 2008 4:29 AM PDT
No surprises on that list, though where's Dell? With their success or lack there of, would have thought they'd be beside HP on there.
Reply to this comment
by simpleweb October 27, 2008 4:51 PM PDT
Why everything has to be celebrated. Please do not treat everything as a commodity (in this case its news)

Good Luck
Reply to this comment
by TV James November 4, 2008 10:23 AM PST
I disagree with the people complaining. This is news. Aggregating it together in a single "body count" is an informative chart. Using Google Docs and also linking back to specific news articles, that's just plain handy.
Reply to this comment
by rafe November 4, 2008 4:27 PM PST
Of course we realize that this is no game, that there are jobs and livelihoods at stake here. But we feel it is important to cover the problems in tech industry as well as the good news. Each one of these stories is important.

We have a counterpart to this spreadsheet: Who's hiring. Hopefully it is as useful, or more, than this one. Check it out: http://t.cnet.com/t
Reply to this comment
by Jetsers November 5, 2008 12:41 PM PST
Been laid off for 3 months now.
Games are not depression proof.
Reply to this comment
by d0k0night December 5, 2008 1:40 PM PST
If you're making games like Duke Nukem Forever yes that would be a good example.

But if you're making games like World of Warcraft, different story.
by DrollTroll November 7, 2008 7:42 AM PST
Not to worry...those laid off can always blog on CNET, like many of the so-called consultants writing here.
Reply to this comment
by yufame November 12, 2008 3:31 PM PST
Man, this layoff phase is temporary phenomenon. People Worldover have got used to and addicted to Information Technology and its usefulness. There is no going back.

One thing we all forget - it is the demise of the exotic financial instruments called CDRs created by Financial wizards who are ignorant of ground realities, that caused the downfall of World Financial markets.

These Financial entities who controlled the rest of the World are being reined in by their respective Governments.

World has woken up and seeing the reality now.

The wound of economic turmoil may hurt for some time, but will heal, and rebound.
Reply to this comment
by dreidogg January 14, 2009 9:22 AM PST
Yeah people the World Over can do IT cheaper than you spoiled people in the U.S. and with more education. Keep it real.
by sims12345 November 16, 2008 6:25 AM PST
pcworld just layed off a bunch of its columnists
Reply to this comment
by clpdan November 20, 2008 1:31 PM PST
How about you guys spend your time building up the nation - post a list of companies that are NOT laying off, even if they are not hiring. Then post a list of companies that are hiring. Spread some good news and lift people's spirits. It is the negative in our media that is just leading to a self-fulfilling prophesy of economic woes by feeding a fire. Lets throw some water on it instead.
Reply to this comment
by jenguevin December 3, 2008 2:54 PM PST
Like it or not, layoffs are news to the people who follow these companies and we wouldn't be doing our jobs if we didn't report them. That said, I agree that the news is depressing. And we have had this ongoing list of companies that are hiring running for quite some time now.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10073394-2.html

Jennifer Guevin
Assistant managing editor
CNET News
by deanb1234 December 4, 2008 3:02 PM PST
You are all wrong. The economy is not screwed it is fu@ked well and truly. In the name of our great saviour lord jesus christ. He is the only person that can save us now. Lets all join hands and pray for forgiveness
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by d0k0night December 5, 2008 1:38 PM PST
Yet God helps those, who help themselves right? Praying alone ain't gonna solve anything. Look at the "hiring" side of this article. Check out what's in high demand(java developers, .NET developers, etc). If that's not you - might be something to think about while you're sitting at home collecting EI.
by renGek June 16, 2009 12:51 PM PDT
I forgive you for being an idiot and I'll pray for you daily.

I was a victim of the dot com bust (remember those days). Long story short I am a talented software developer that got treated like doggie poo once things went sour for the company. Laid off for a couple of months. Lucky enough eventually to find a development job for less money and doing really cruddy work. Then I decided to get certified for .net because I knew it was in high demand. Doing very well now and am fortunate enough that my company is one of the few that is actually doing extremely well. But I don't gloat about it because I've been there and know that I can easily return there. But eventually things will get better and you will forget this chapter like you did with the dot com bust or the asian financial crisis of the late 90s or the recession from the first George bush or from the stock market meltdown in '87. I've rode them all. Things always get better. And in all of these cases, the rebounds were tremendous. So be ready to seize opportunities.
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