Google lays off some U.S. DoubleClick employees

by Linda Rosencrance

April 2, 2008 —

Google said Wednesday it is laying off some of the employees at recently acquired
DoubleClick and placing others in transition roles.

"Since our acquisition
of DoubleClick closed on March 11, we have been working to match and align
DoubleClick employees in the U.S. with our organizational plan for the business,"
a Google spokesman said in an e-mail. "As with many mergers, this review
has resulted in a reduction in headcount at the acquired company."

Google did not provide details about the number of DoubleClick employees affected
or what departments were involved. The company also did not say which employees
were placed in "transitional roles," which are similar to contractor
roles.

However, according to a person familiar with the matter, approximately a quarter
of U.S. employees are being let go or are being offered transitional roles.
DoubleClick has about 1,200 employees in the U.S.

Google first announced its plans for the US$3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick
last April. The company has said the combination of Google and DoubleClick will
deliver better, more relevant display ads as well as a better user experience

When the deal finally closed March 11, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said the first
thing the company planned to do was look at the staffing levels of the two companies
and decide where to cut jobs if necessary. At that time he said the process
would be completed in the U.S. by early April. He did not give a timetable for
completing that process outside the U.S.

"We are confident that our combined organizational structure, along with
the skills and experience of our new colleagues, will allow us to continue to
offer great products and services to our customers," Google said.

Computerworld