Reports: Yahoo mulling layoffs

The New York Times reports Yahoo is planning to lay off hundreds of employees, citing sources close to the beleaguered web giant. According to reports, Yahoo is preparing to lay off an unknown percentage of its 14,000-member workforce at the end of the month, likely confirming details during a Jan. 29 conference call scheduled to follow the announcement of its Q4 2007 results. The cuts are said to be part of an overall effort to increase Yahoo's profitability, rejuvenate its staggering stock price and narrow the focus of its Internet portal. In October, CEO Jerry Yang said the company would focus on becoming a "starting point" for Web consumers, extending its advertising reach and opening up its platform to third-party developers and publishers. Yahoo has also said it plans to phase out or consolidate services including photos, premium music, auctions and Yahoo 360, a largely unsuccessful social network.

Earlier this month, Yang announced the beta launch of a revamped flagship mobile offering, Yahoo Go 3.0, promising an upgraded and feature-rich user interface, start-page personalization and customizable access to web brands and services via third-party widgets.

For more on the Yahoo layoffs:
- read this New York Times article

Related articles:
Yahoo's Panama ad platform going mobile 
Yahoo: Mobile web to overtake PCs in next decade
Yahoo mobile search expands across Asia Pacific
Yahoo announces revamped mobile search