Google To Layoff 20% Of Motorola Staff

Sites include Google.com . Published on August 26th, 2012. Written by Anthony West.

This past May, Google go the go-ahead from regulators to acquire Motorola Mobility. Speculation was rife as to what Google would do with the new addition and although Google’s strategic intent isn’t very clear, one thing certainly is.

The search giant is reportedly getting set to lay off 20% of the staff of Motorola Mobility. That amounts to around 4,000 employees and by all accounts, most of the layoffs will occur outside of the US. Google also has plan it seems to shut down 1/3 of Motorola facilities.

News of the layoffs will of course cause distress among those affected but in typical fashion, Motorola Mobility is urging calm and highlighting the benefits that people will get from being laid off: “Motorola is committed to helping them through this difficult transition and will be providing generous severance packages, as well as outplacement services to help people find new jobs.”

Those new jobs may not be so easy to get, especially outside of the US. Google will no doubt take some flak for the move which may or may not be justified. Clearly Motorola wasn’t being run properly and by all accounts a bloated workforce was part of the problem.

Let’s just hope Google can make this new acquisition profitable enough to keep the rest of the workforce employed.

Is Google’s move to put 4,000 people out of work justified? Share your thoughts below.