Trouble in M-Town as Google Readies 4,000 Job Cuts at Motorola

Google might be one of the greatest companies to work for on the planet (if you die while working at Google, your spouse or significant other will receive 50 percent of your income for 10 years, which is just one of many awesome perks at Google), but it's not immune to job cuts. In fact, the Mountain View company announced plans to eliminate 4,000 jobs at its Motorola Mobility division, effectively slashing the venture's workforce by 20 percent.

In a regulatory filing today, Google explained the job cuts as necessary to "return Motorola's mobile devices unit to profitability." Google also warned investors that revenue figures are likely to bounce all over the place during the course of the next several quarters.


"Motorola is committed to helping [laid off employees] through this difficult transition and will be providing generous severance packages, as well as outplacement services to help people find new jobs," Motorola Mobility told Bloomberg in an email.

Google acquired Motorola Mobility last year for $12.5 billion in what many viewed as a massive patent grab to fend off an increasing number of lawsuits against Android vendors. The acquisition netted Google over 17,000 patents, though it hasn't stopped Apple from suing major Android players like Samsung.