Technology, Job Cuts | featured news

Google says it's cutting an additional 1,200 jobs in its Motorola division as the unprofitable cellphone maker struggles to compete.

Possibly trying to hide the grim news by announcing it during Apple’s event, we’ve just independently confirmed that Zynga has shut down its Boston office and laid off 2/3s of the employees in its Austin office, including cuts to The Ville and Bingo teams. We’ve now confirmed the initial report from Justin Maxwell. We’ve also just heard Zynga may have an all-hands meeting this afternoon.

Newsweek will end its print publication after 80 years and shift to an all-digital format in early 2013. Its last U.S. print edition will be its Dec. 31 issue. The paper version of Newsweek is the latest casualty of a changing world where readers get more of their information from websites, tablets and smartphones. It's also an environment in which advertisers are looking for less expensive alternatives online.

RealNetworks disclosed in an SEC filing this afternoon that the company today cut 80 positions, or about 7% of its worldwide employee base, as part of a previously announced plan to reduce operating expenses.

Google said today that it will cut about 4,000 jobs at its Motorola Mobility wireless phone business and will close or consolidate about one-third of Motorola's 90 locations. The reductions represent about 20% of Motorola Mobility’s 20,000 employees, and two-third of the job cuts will take place outside of the U. S. The company said today that Motorola Mobility has lost money in 14 of the past 16 quarters.

Microsoft cut some advertising and marketing jobs on Wednesday, the company confirmed to the Wall Street Journal. "I can confirm that there were job eliminations today at Microsoft," a company spokeswoman told the WSJ via email.

Electronics retailer Best Buy Co. is laying off 600 staffers in its Geek Squad technical support division and 1,800 other store workers as it seeks to restructure operations and improve results, the company said Friday.

Nokia says it will slash 10,000 jobs and close plants as the ailing company fights fierce competition, and gave a grim outlook for most of the year, causing its shares to plummet 18 percent to close at €1.83 ($2.30). The Finnish cellphone maker also on Thursday announced personnel changes and said it has agreed to sell its luxury phone brand, Vertu.

Hewlett-Packard Co., the world’s largest PC maker, will cut 27,000 jobs, or about 8 percent of its staff, by 2014 to bring down costs and make the company more competitive in a changing marketplace.

Best Buy Co reported weaker-than-expected sales for the key holiday quarter, prompting the world's largest electronics chain to close 50 U.S. stores and cut 400 jobs in corporate and support areas.