Google Will Cut 1,200 More Jobs At Motorola Mobility 112
alphadogg writes "Motorola Mobility is cutting 1,200 staff, in addition to a reduction of 4,000 staff it announced in August, to focus on high-end devices. 'These cuts are a continuation of the reductions we announced last summer,' said Motorola. 'It's obviously very hard for the employees concerned, and we are committed to helping them through this difficult transition.' Motorola's mobile business has been overwhelmed in the smartphone market by larger players such as Samsung Electronics, Apple, Sony, Huawei Technologies and ZTE."
Re:Not Evil (Score:4, Insightful)
If Google hadn't bought them, Motorola would have either been out of business or even smaller by now. They're not killing anybody, just asking people to find new jobs. That's tough, but it won't kill them.
I don't see how getting a company into shape where they're not losing money is supposed to be "evil".
Either we pull our weight in this world, or somebody else pulls it for us. Who is supposed to pull Motorola's weight?
Re:Seriously.. (Score:2, Insightful)
I think Google is starting to turn evil, guys.
Google: do no evil
Haven't you ever heard of the Big Lie theory? [wikipedia.org]
A few comments having worked there recently.. (Score:5, Insightful)
The handset segment of Motorola's business has suffered for nearly a decade with very lackluster management, and had an excellent engineering staff (all those innovations and patents didn't just magically appear). Each successive management team took more and more money out of the company, culminating with the largest exporter of cash, Dr. Sanjay Jha.
Google. Under Dennis Woodside (an M&A lawyer, not a technologist), is not much different. In the last six months, they have let go the inventor of the most lucrative patent they have litigated against Apple, they have RIF'd their most prolific inventor, let go the design chief of the most popular and profitable smartphone design to date (not Jim Wicks, unfortunately). The Google CFO blames lackluster results on "an aging pipeline of products", and it takes "18 months to deliver new ones". Well, sorry folks.. it doesn't take 18 months, it takes 9...those products should be out by now...
Google is managing this subsidiary like it's a internet software company, and then following the Apple-Samsung strategy of doing fewer designs (when apple and Samsung are now branching out, and doing more). The wrong HR strategy, the wrong market strategy, and the wrong outside management, it is no small wonder the remaining technology talent are leaving in droves. The only difference between MMI and the Titanic? The Titanic, at least, had a band.
Re:Seriously.. (Score:5, Insightful)
Devil's advocate:
One of the reasons I am guessing that Google is being conservative with the Motorola division is the concern about being viewed as a monopoly. If Google does too much with MM, other Android makers (Samsung, Huawei, ZTE) will jump ship for other operating systems like Windows 8.
There is also the fact that there is the fear of being viewed as a monopoly by the EU.
Regardless, it would be nice if Motorola would do like what Sony, HTC, and others offer, and give a way to unlock the bootloader. I like Motorola phones, but I won't buy another one unless there is a way to do this.