Adobe Has Massive Layoff Push

The company is removing almost 10% of the workforce in a measure that apparently no one saw coming.

from BBC online

US software company Adobe Systems has announced it is cutting 680 jobs, almost 10% of its workforce.

The software firm, best known for Photoshop, Flash and Acrobat, said the cuts were necessary to cut costs.

It added it that would be hit with pre-tax restructuring charges of between $65m (£39m) and $71m as a direct result of the cuts.

The lay-offs will not affect employees of web analytics firm Omniture, which was recently taken over by Adobe.

More than 7,000 people work for Adobe Systems.

I wonder how much of this is due to the recent trend away from Adobe products. Reader has had so many holes patched lately, it looks like a freshly darned sock when fired up. Flash is something everyone on the web is beginning to hate. Though not flawed in a major way, many people are using other means to accomplish what was once done by Photoshop, as the general agreement is that it costs too much.

With so many ways to author, or read, a PDF these days, and more and more graphics programs taking over chores that Photoshop used to do, and rival Silverlight eating into the Flash market, can Adobe survive the long haul?

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