Google To Lay Off 2,500 Search Spiders
Despite reporting better than expected search revenue figures and a rosy outlook on the future of online advertising, Google announced last week that it will be laying off up to 2,500 search engine spiders by the end of its fiscal quarter, ending in January. According to officials at Google, the move is intended to help the media giant trim expenses and slow down the speed of search results. ”For a long time we’ve been focused on constantly improving how people find or experience information on the Internet,” said Google co-founder and president Sergey Brin. ”It’s time we focused on making more money. You think Microsoft makes money by making things better? C’mon. They make money by force-feeding mediocre products to consumers using the leanest operation possible. Cutting some spiders will help us do just that.” Officials with Google report that they will first solicit volunteer spiders willing to retire early with generous severance packages, then forcefully lay off the rest.
Tags: Google, layoffs, Microsoft, search, Sergey Brin