Aug 13, 2012 11:33 AM EDT
Google Cuts 4,000 Motorola Jobs to Focus on Android, Hardware

Google will be cutting 4,000 jobs at Motorola Mobility, roughly 20 percent of its workforce. One-third of those jobs will be in the US.

"While Motorola expects this strategy to create new opportunities and help return its mobile devices unit to profitability, it understands how hard these changes will be for the employees concerned," a Motorola representative told AllThingsD, the Wall Street Journal's technology blog. "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."

The blog also reports that Motorola will see roughly one-third of its 94 facilities shut.

Google acquired Motorola in May of this year for $12.5 billion for the purpose of benefiting from its vast portfolio of patents.

The internet giant gave a return to profitability for Motorola as motivation for the measures; and says it expects severance-related costs of no more than $275 million, Bloomberg reports.

Google also wants to make Motorola more competitive with Apple and Samsung, strengthen its Android production, cease the manufacture of low-end products, get out of unprofitable markets, and broaden its horizons in hardware manufacturing, the New York Times says. It also plans to streamline its cellphone offerings.

"We're excited about the smartphone business," Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside, a Google executive before the acquisition, told the paper. "The Google business is built on a wired model, and as the world moves to a pretty much completely wireless model over time, it's really going to be important for Google to understand everything about the mobile consumer."

See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?

 PREVIOUS POST
NEXT POST 

EDITOR'S PICK    

Hyundai to Invest $16.1 Billion for EV Business; Sets Annual Sales Goal of 1.87M Electric Cars by 2030

World's Most Expensive and Most Heavily-optioned Porsche 928 GTS is Coming Home to the U.S.

Major Boost as Tesla Giga Berlin Facility in Final Phase of Approval Process; Delivery Event Set This Month

Audi Looking for e-tron Electric Vehicles to Spur Car Brand's Growth in India in 2022

Toyota Offers Free EV Charging to Owners of 2023 bZ4X After Partnership Agreement with EVgo

2022 Suzuki Baleno Finally Unveiled in India: What are the Specs and Features of this City Car?