Charlotte, NC (TheForceField.net) October 15, 2007 — America OnLine will lay off 2,000 of its 10,000 employees starting tomorrow, according to a company e-mail sent this morning. The e-mail, obtained by a former analyst Merrill Lynch, Henry Blodget, and posted in its entirety on The Silicon Valley Insider soon after its release, said the layoffs are to begin Tuesday October 16th and continue for the next two months. However, at least one individual responding to the Silicon Valley Insider report claimed one HR employee was escorted out of the offices of AOL today.
The e-mail, sent by AOL president Randy Falco, touted the company's aquisitions and achievements and outlined its goal of transitioning from an ISP that is subscription based to an advertising based company. The layoffs were announced in the last four paragraphs of the e-mail.
"As a part of this realignment, tomorrow we begin a reduction in force that will, over the next couple of months, affect a total of about 2,000 people out of our worldwide workforce of 10,000", Falco wrote.
"Everyone impacted by this reduction deserves our thanks and respect for their contributions to the company", Falco continued. "We will aid these individuals in their transition to new opportunities as much as possible, most importantly with what we believe are generous severance packages. "
Falco then returned to touting his vision for the company. "So where is this taking AOL?" he added. "Put simply, my vision for AOL is to build the largest and most sophisticated global advertising network while we grow the size and engagement of our worldwide audience."
Comments believed to be those of employees posted on The Silicon Valley Insider underneath the e-mail indicate the enthusiasm for his vision was not shared.
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