Dec 10, 2008 02:20 PM
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San Francisco, 2:46 AM
Wed Feb 10
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Yahoo has a strict set of rules to follow in layoffs: No small talk. Get to the point. Don't own the employee's feelings. Did Jerry Yang, the stumbling Internet company's cloddish founder-CEO, follow them in his latest all-hands memo?
Of course not! Check out the unnecessary verbiage — all lowercase letters, as is Yang's too-lazy-for-the-shift-key wont — and the presumptuous empathizing, as Yang sends out a memo about the company's mass layoff of 1,500 employees. Is it any wonder that Yahoo's board has decided to fire Yang, too? He assumes its a "tough time" for all of his charges. It has never occurred to him that many Yahoos might cheer the company's shedding of deadwood — Yang included.
The memo:
yahoos,today, most of our layoffs in the US are happening, and they've been underway in other regions around the world.
this is a tough time for all of us and i wanted to take a moment to reach out to you.
saying goodbye to colleagues and friends is never easy. they all are dedicated members of our yahoo! family, who worked beside us and shared our passion.
but as you all know, we must take actions to better perform in today's turbulent global economy. while we've found efficiencies in many parts of our business, laying off employees is unfortunately unavoidable. our difficult decision to let colleagues go reflects the changes we're having to make to better align costs with revenues - something businesses in virtually every sector are also having to do.
for those who are affected by these layoffs, i am extremely grateful for your contributions to yahoo!. we realize the impact this will have on you. that's why, consistent with our past practices, we're making every effort to support you with severance packages and other services.
the reductions we're making are very hard, but they are also very necessary - as we focus on the long-term health of our business. to those who are leaving us, i extend my heartfelt thanks on behalf of yahoos everywhere - you will be missed.
thanks,
jerry
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