Microsoft Corp is considering “significant” layoffs across various divisions that could be announced as early as next week, The Wall Street Journal reported late on Wednesday.
The newspaper, in its online edition, said the Redmond, Washington, software giant was “seriously exploring significant work force reductions.”
Citing “people familiar with its plans,” the Journal said that Microsoft was “considering layoffs across its various divisions,” what it called “a rare occurrence for the world’s largest software company.”
“However, plans for the cutbacks are still in flux and Microsoft could end up finding alternative methods of reining in costs,” the Journal quoted one unidentified source as saying.
The Journal said the number of potential job cuts was “likely to be far less than the 15,000 positions that have been rumored in recent weeks.”
Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer declined in an interview with the Journal last week to say whether the company was planning layoffs, though he said the economic slowdown was forcing it to think about cost-cutting moves.
“We’re finding our right balance,” Ballmer said.
Ballmer said deep job cuts were unlikely. “That’s not our company culture,” he said.
The Journal said Microsoft, which had 91,000 employees at the end of June, might announce the job cuts when it reports its financial results on Thursday.
The software giant has already said that with the weak economy it could not sustain the head-count growth of the last two fiscal years, which reached as much as 15 percent.
A slowdown in computer sales is also affecting Microsoft and the research firm Gartner reported on Wednesday that worldwide PC sales grew by just 1.1 percent in the fourth quarter of last year from a year ago, the worst growth rate for the industry since 2002.
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source