back to article Google AXES another 1,200 employees from Motorola workforce

Google is cutting loose another 10 per cent of its Motorola Mobility workforce - which means 1,200 employees at the smartphone maker face redundancy. The move comes after 4,000 jobs in the Motorola wing of Google's biz were axed in August 2012. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Motorola workers were told …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Don't be evil? yeah right.

    1. P_0

      Firing non-performing workers and/or making redundancies isn't evil by any means. It's far more evil to let the company grind on into bankruptcy - then everyone can lose their jobs.

      1. danR2
        Devil

        C'mon, Evil bought HP for one reason...

        ...as a fully-stocked spare-parts box. Workers were just a lot of clutter.

      2. BillG
        WTF?

        "Non-performing workers"? Says who?

        Look, Google (a software company) bought out Motorola (a hardware company) and made the common mistake of managing the hardware business like it was software. The management and politics is completely different because hardware design is based on Quality Control, and from experience I can tell you that hardware QC is like golf - it looks so easy you think you can do it yourself but you don't realize how badly you've screwed up until you've lost your shirt.

        I can tell you for a fact that Google is laying off Motorola people because they mismanaged the (hardware) business 'cause don't understand hardware.

        1. P_0

          Well it seems to me they were making a loss before Google bought them: http://mediacenter.motorola.com/Press-Releases/Motorola-Mobility-Announces-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-Financial-Results-39c2.aspx

          If Google has a vision for the company it is inveitable restructuring would be necessary. What are they supposed to do?

          I can tell you for a fact that Google is laying off Motorola people because they mismanaged the (hardware) business 'cause don't understand hardware.

          I really don't think you know for a fact that this is the case. And I doubt it is the case. If they need to restructure and pull out of non-profitable regions (Korea, India etc) then obviously people will need to be let go.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          @BillG

          "I can tell you for a fact that Google is laying off Motorola people because they mismanaged the (hardware) business 'cause don't understand hardware."

          Maybe you can tell us why Motorola had to spin off the handsets business in the first place? Wouldn't have anything to do with years of losses and making crap phones, would it? You might also enlighten us how for such a meagre stable of products Motorola Mobility had 19,000 employees at the time Google acquired it?

          1. BillG
            Meh

            Re: @BillG

            Maybe you can tell us why Motorola had to spin off the handsets business in the first place?

            If you recall, it was sold off because Motorola desperately needed the cash, for the same reason Motorola spun off Motorola Semiconductor (now called Freescale).

            The unfortunate truth is the Motorola was and is a company paralyzed by internal politics. Companies steeped in internal politics paralyze innovation because it's safer to do nothing, rather than do something bold and risk internal opposition.

            That paralysis plagued the handset business. When Google acquired the handset business they compounded that dysfunction with a lack of understanding of hardware.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Wow

    I guess they were not the part that was worth 12.5 beeellions of dollars, huh?

  3. Dan 55 Silver badge

    Nice one

    If they're going to repeatedly kick them in the balls they might as well fire them now and outsource everything to Foxconn.

    Strange that Google doesn't see the value in having a hardware manufacturer which comes from a mobile background instead of their own web/advertising background, perhaps they haven't yet realised it helps them understand a little more what people need from a phone and therefore their OS. Them having a direct line to the team working on Android means their costs are probably amongst the cheapest for a western company too. If Motorola don't come out with a Nexus mobile sometime soon it means that it was all about the patents all along.

    1. JetSetJim

      Re: Nice one

      Well, there's rumours that the Key Lime Pie release will be Moto.

      http://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/news/2013/02/google_nexus_x_android_key_lime_pie_phone_on_way_from_motorola/

      But it was still 90% about the patents

      1. Ralph B
        Joke

        Lime Pie, eh?

        Guess that shouldn't be a lemon then.

        1. Jean Le PHARMACIEN
          Joke

          Re: Lime Pie, eh?

          No - it will be squarely aimed at the 'Limey' market only [if they're not too busy running after iPhones..]

          UK look out!

  4. Jason_H

    Google probably didn't actually want Motorola for anything other than their IP.

    It would also look pretty 'evil' of them to sack everyone immediately. This way it at least looks like they are trying their best.

  5. Piro Silver badge

    Unlocked RAZR MAXX HD for.. everywhere

    That'd be a goddamn start. Available only in the US, and if you, god help you, get a Verizon one, whoops! You can't unlock the bootloader.

    I don't want a 1080p screen, I don't want quad core, I want 720p, solid dual core performance, a giant battery, microSD slot, and preferably not a plasticy build.

    They make it, but they don't ship it everywhere. Why? I have no clue.

    1. David Lucke

      Re: Unlocked RAZR MAXX HD for.. everywhere

      THIS! This right here!

      Thank god I'm not the only one who wants this stuff, I was thinking I was the only sane guy in the asylum.

  6. Andrew Moore
    Thumb Up

    It's karma...

    Motorola screwed Psion, Google screws Motorola...

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Makes sense since Samsung is really the only android manufacturer worth anything. It might as be be called Samsung Android. Google should make their own phone OS.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Before you know it...

    ...someone will declare a worldwide economic recession.

  9. coderguy
    Meh

    For a a long time Motorola made some great devices. The only problem was that they could only be bought in Asia. For example the A series of feature phones based on Linux. My particular favorite being the A780...

    Anyway, these days, there devices have been ... what's the word? meh!. From my point of view, if the layoffs are affecting say managers instead of engineers, then it's a good start. Motorola have always made solid phones, just like the their walkie thumpies (communications devices that also function as a cosh ), long may this tradition continue. Samsung are better, thanks to Andriod, it'd be a shame to see the creator of the OS playing second fiddle to a reseller.

  10. RAMChYLD
    Boffin

    Maybe if they had released some of their phones worldwide instead of only in the US!

    I'm still waiting for an LTE 2600/1800 version of the Photon Q, Google!

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