A history of Microsoft layoffs, starting with the floppy disk |
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A history of Microsoft layoffs, starting with the floppy disk
As Microsoft employees in Redmond brace for the possibility of layoffs, it's worth noting that job cuts aren't unprecedented for the company. However, in the past they've been on a much smaller scale than some people are anticipating now.
In 1996, for example, Microsoft let 120 workers go from its floppy disk assembly facility in Bothell, according to this 1996 New York Times story. The reason, as you might expect, was waning demand for the medium. "People who were doing a very good job for us simply were not busy enough," a Microsoft executive told the newspaper at the time.
In recent years, the company has cut as many as 200 positions at a time as it has changed its focus or looked to reduce costs in groups including video games, sales and interactive television. However, in many of those cases, workers were helped to find positions elsewhere in the company. Eric Lai of Computerworld has a good roundup of those cutbacks in this recent story.
Of course, the situation is very different now, as the economy causes many of Microsoft's biggest customers to cut back on their technology spending. Still no official word, but if the company is planning layoffs, we're expecting the news to come after it reports earnings Thursday afternoon. Check back then for coverage of the results and any related news.
(Flickr photo by Josh Madison.)
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