Google management has confirmed via the company’s official blog that the company will “reduce the number of roles within our sales and marketing organizations by just under 200 globally.”
Omid Kordestani, who heads Google’s worldwide sales and bizdev divisions, tried to soften the punch:
We will give each person time to try and find another position at Google, as well as outplacement support, and provide severance packages for those who leave the company.
This isn’t the first Google layoff, nor is it the largest: Thousands of contractors have been let go already. But with this cut, Google has scaled back its expectations for global sales and partnerships in 2009. This isn’t trimming the fat, it’s planning to have less to eat.