AOL just announced they would lay off about 700 employees. This is following the closure of the Orlando service center, which accounts for about 450 jobs. Additional employees from the company’s offices in Jacksonville, Fla., Tucson, Ariz., and AOL’s Dulles, headquarters in northern Virginia.
The cuts were felt most in the member services or access unit of the company and we’re told no online ad-related jobs will be affected. Company spokesperson Nicholas Graham said this is about, “Aligning ourselves to be more nimble and professional, and respond more quickly.”
AOL has certainly gone through some structural changes, and a realignment of operations is not unreasonable. The company could also be positioning itself for potential sale, a point of heated speculation on the Web.
The layoff comes just under one year after a similar downsizing. In early November last year, AOL cut about 700 jobs from its northern Virginia headquarters.