Layoffs Continue to Roll In

No jobs...no consumer...no recovery.

Electronic Arts to Cut 1,500 Jobs After Latest Loss

By Adam Satariano

Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Electronic Arts Inc., the second- largest video-game publisher, plans to cut 1,500 jobs as Chief Executive Officer John Riccitiello battles shrinking industry sales that have contributed to 11 straight quarterly losses.

The maker of “Madden NFL” reported its second-quarter loss widened to $391 million, or $1.21 a share, from a loss of $310 million, or 97 cents, a year earlier, according to a statement today. Excluding some items, Redwood City, California- based Electronic Arts posted profit of 6 cents, missing the 10- cent average estimate of 18 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

Sprint to Lay Off Over 2,000 Before The Year Is Up

By Matthew DeCarlo, TechSpot.com
Published: November 10, 2009, 9:30 AM EST

After reporting a third-quarter loss of $478 million and 545,000 customers, Sprint plans to let go between 2,000 and 2,500 people -- about 6% of its 42,000-strong workforce -- by the end of this year. The company expects the job cuts to reduce annual expenses by $350 million, and it will dole out $60 million to $80 million in severance payments during the fourth quarter.

The layoffs will affect positions across the entire company, including its wholesale unit and even contractors. The carrier said it would be careful to ensure that the restructuring doesn't impact its recently improved customer service record.

When Sprint's current CEO Dan Hesse took over in late 2007, poor service was a common complaint among customers. Support has improved so drastically in the last two years, however, that the company has discontinued using 27 call centers.

RealNetworks to Lay Off 4 Percent

The Seattle area is going to get another jobless jolt Thursday, with RealNetworks planning to lay off 4 percent of its workforce, sources said.

That's a small number--just about 70 people out of its 1,700-person staff--but the move comes on the heels of layoffs of another 800 employees at nearby Microsoft on Wednesday. The software giant has cut thousands of jobs over the last year, part of a move to eliminate 5,000 positions by mid-2010.

While the dismissals--which are likely to be announced to affected RealNetworks employees sometime Thursday morning by managers--will be global, both RealNetworks and Microsoft are tech leaders with headquarters in the Pacific Northwest.