Massive Layoffs at Yahoo

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008 by Andy Beal

Massive Layoffs at Yahoo

Yahoo has followed through with the previously expected layoffs.

If the Twitter conversations weren’t confirmation enough, Jerry Yang has blogged about the mass layoffs.

Notice how the “shift” key is broken on Yang’s computer:

yahoos,

today, most of our layoffs in the US are happening, and they’ve been underway in other regions around the world.

this is a tough time for all of us and i wanted to take a moment to reach out to you.

saying goodbye to colleagues and friends is never easy. they all are dedicated members of our yahoo! family, who worked beside us and shared our passion.

but as you all know, we must take actions to better perform in today’s turbulent global economy. while we’ve found efficiencies in many parts of our business, laying off employees is unfortunately unavoidable. our difficult decision to let colleagues go reflects the changes we’re having to make to better align costs with revenues – something businesses in virtually every sector are also having to do.

for those who are affected by these layoffs, i am extremely grateful for your contributions to yahoo!. we realize the impact this will have on you. that’s why, consistent with our past practices, we’re making every effort to support you with severance packages and other services.

the reductions we’re making are very hard, but they are also very necessary — as we focus on the long-term health of our business. to those who are leaving us, i extend my heartfelt thanks on behalf of yahoos everywhere — you will be missed.

thanks,
jerry

TechCrunch is also reporting that Yahoo is expected to close down Brickhouse, its new product incubator.

My thoughts and prayers are with those receiving this unwelcomed Christmas present.

Want more marketing news & views? Follow Marketing Pilgrim's Andy Beal on Twitter!

Similar Stories in: Search | Forward: Email This Post

Share this post

18 comments on “Massive Layoffs at Yahoo”

Matt Helphrey Says:

December 10th, 2008 at 5:52 pm

Thats a real drawn out letter…sometimes it’s just best to get to the point. Seriously though, how unprofessional is that not to use correct punctuation?

Matt Helphrey’s last blog post..The Money Spot is Above the Fold
Jon Jennings Says:

December 10th, 2008 at 6:29 pm

The lack of capitalization is just an affectation that Jerry Yang has always had.

Jon Jennings’s last blog post..Twitter and Magpie
rebekah donaldson ('red') Says:

December 10th, 2008 at 6:30 pm

I think the man’s got cajones.

The punctuation thing doesn’t bother me. First, I think he’s trying to convey to us without saying it, “this is not copy from my army of comm.s gurus and hr people.” Second, content is king.

Like other professional communicators, I’ve got a pretty sharp nose for b.s. I don’t sense b.s. here. What I sense is that he feels bad about cutting off the people he’s cutting off.

Those pink slipped can’t take regret to the bank. But feeling regret, acknowledging hardship, and communicating directly with the people affected are, to me, all indicators of a healthy moral character… and… cajones.

rebekah donaldson (’red’)’s last blog post..B2B marketing’s future
PS3 Says:

December 10th, 2008 at 7:29 pm

I work in corporate recovery but never lose sight of the damage cut backs have on individuals and families, especially this time of year. Sorry to hear the news.
Ted Murphy Says:

December 10th, 2008 at 10:21 pm

jerry is feeling very small
JT Says:

December 11th, 2008 at 1:41 am

I wonder if the same thing will happen to Google.

JT’s last blog post..Zen and PPC campaigns
Nicole Price Says:

December 11th, 2008 at 6:17 am

There are strong rumors that Sareen of Vodafone is likely to join Yahoo as top honcho to revive its fortunes. Quite how that, if true, will pan out. Is it too late already?

Nicole Price’s last blog post..Festive Discounts
Kenney and Kim Says:

December 11th, 2008 at 7:44 am

Dang, cause I love Yahoo. And Yahoo loves me (SEO). lol. Really though I would like to see Yahoo turn it around and stay the power house that they are. They have got to increase revenue though, they have a lot of banner ad buys, but obviously it’s not enough to add to their YPN and compete with Google.
SeoBrain Says:

December 11th, 2008 at 11:10 pm

So much bleeding for big company in this end of year. Very hard decission but they must do that to keep their finances stable. I hope next 2009 Yahoo will find their way again.
Now we discover people don’t believe blogs - so stop blogging…! | Internet Psychology by Graham Jones Says:

December 12th, 2008 at 2:30 am

[...] the punctuation is poor, the grammar is bad and the spelling isn’t even checked. As the online reputation expert Andy Beal pointed out recently, even the CEO of Yahoo appears to have forgotten that sentences start with a [...]
Utah SEO Pro Says:

December 12th, 2008 at 12:47 pm

The question is “Is Google next?”

Utah SEO Pro’s last blog post..SEO and Usability – SES Chicago 2008 Presentation
Yahoo Reduces Severance Plan “Poison Pill” Says:

December 12th, 2008 at 4:46 pm

[...] a day after their massive layoffs began, Yahoo’s in the news again—and again, it’s not really the kind of story you [...]
Yahoo Reduces Severance Plan “Poison Pill” | domain names | Says:

December 13th, 2008 at 2:47 am

[...] a day after their massive layoffs began, Yahoo’s in the news again—and again, it’s not really the kind of story you [...]
myrtle beach apartments Says:

December 14th, 2008 at 4:18 pm

this seems to be a plan to cut costs to attract a buyer
AIDS Drugs Says:

December 21st, 2008 at 3:40 pm

Its nice the employees are likely getting good severance but I think its sad that they are having to cut jobs they are a very solid company.
rebekah donaldson ('red') Says:

December 23rd, 2008 at 2:14 pm

There’s a good article out today (12/23/08) by Kelly K. Spors at the WSJ.com too that hits some notes like those I expressed earlier/above. Spors’ article is “If You Fire People, Don’t Be a Jerk About It” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122981253999624231.html?mod=djemSB

rebekah donaldson (’red’)’s last blog post..B2B marketing’s future
chetan Says:

December 29th, 2008 at 4:26 am

People always hate to talk about when they are laid off. But as it has become every day’s news headline since Yahoo started it with cutting 1500 of its task force last year, now a need of platform has been in demand where people can express their selves in words how they are feeling about their company, whey the got laid off was that justified or not.
And every thing they want to tell anonymously.And http://www.layoffgossip.com is providing you that platform.
Jeff Says:

January 13th, 2009 at 11:36 am

I have a very close friend, who graduated from Harvard. Worked for ML for over 8 years, last year he’s laid off too. OMG, now the banking industry is badly hurt, how long it would take for those financial background like him get back to the job market. Banking jobs are not there as much as before as easily seen on http://www.joboutlets.com and other job sites in the region

Marketing Pilgrim