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Sony to slash 10,000 (6%) of workforce by year's end

W

Wario64

works for Gamestop (lol)
Executives are also taking bonus cuts

"The loss-making electronics firm may also request that its seven executive directors who served through the fiscal year to March, including Chairman Howard Stringer, return their bonuses, the Nikkei said."
 
P

pramath

Banned
Whereas I am really sad for the people who are losing their jobs, from the company's perspective, this might be a good thing.
Sony's problem is that it is much too big, a lumbering giant spreading itself too thin across markets it has no business being in. A leaner, more trimmed Sony with a stronger focus on some core competencies might be the best thing to have happened to the company in recent times.
 
F

Fantastical

Death Prophet
Clearly this is because of the Vita. The beginning of the end.

This topic is probably belongs in the Off Topic section honestly. Probably has more to do with their TVs and what not.
 
C

Cipherr

Member
Just please, god...... make more smartphones. Bleeding edge ones, fuck the mid and low tier. No Nokia on Android, so that leaves the only other gorgeous handset maker as Sony. Step your goddamn game up.
 
L

Log4Girlz

Member
Cipherr said:
Just please, god...... make more smartphones. Bleeding edge ones, fuck the mid and low tier. No Nokia on Android, so that leaves the only other gorgeous handset maker as Sony. Step your goddamn game up.
Click to expand...

I don't know what the fuck they are doing. They don't know what the fuck they are doing. CHASE THOSE TABLET/SMART PHONE DOLLARS. Apple's headquarters is built from solid gold bricks. True story.
 
F

Fantomex

Member
Cipherr said:
Just please, god...... make more smartphones. Bleeding edge ones, fuck the mid and low tier. No Nokia on Android, so that leaves the only other gorgeous handset maker as Sony. Step your goddamn game up.
Click to expand...

You will take your crappy mid-tier Nokia and you will like it!
 
S

see5harp

Member
This really ought to be in off topic, although losses may affect all divisions including the production side.

"The cuts are in response to mounting losses in Sony's TV business; part of a broader measure that may include asking seven of the company's executive directors including Chairman Howard Stringer to return their bonuses. Unlike the 2008 layoffs, which primarily consisted of streamlining and selling off Sony's production capacity, the new cuts are expected to affect all of Sony's groups, ranging from development, to production, to management — both foreign and domestic."
 
L

Log4Girlz

Member
see5harp said:
This really ought to be in off topic, although losses may affect all divisions including the production side.

"The cuts are in response to mounting losses in Sony's TV business; part of a broader measure that may include asking seven of the company's executive directors including Chairman Howard Stringer to return their bonuses. Unlike the 2008 layoffs, which primarily consisted of streamlining and selling off Sony's production capacity, the new cuts are expected to affect all of Sony's groups, ranging from development, to production, to management — both foreign and domestic."
Click to expand...

They should take all those bonuses and buy vitas and give them out as free advertising. Ahuahuahua
 
M

Mako_Drug

Member
Synth_floyd said:
Yeah but judging from the reception of the Vita will they still be willing to make it a high powered beast?
Click to expand...

You can't tell me that the execs believed the Vita would launch at that price and aimed at this market and would be breaking sales records, of course they didn't. They knew it would be a slow launch and all Sony consoles have had long lifespans and sold well over time, even the PS3.
 
S

Synth_floyd

Banned
Yeah I'm sure at the meetings at Sony HQ the plan was:

1) Release powerful, expensive and mediocre selling portable

2) ???

3) Profit.
 
S

SouthernDragon

Member
Wario64 said:
Executives are also taking bonus cuts

"The loss-making electronics firm may also request that its seven executive directors who served through the fiscal year to March, including Chairman Howard Stringer, return their bonuses, the Nikkei said."
Click to expand...

Good. Shared sacrifice is necessary.
 
H

Himynameischris

Member
They really need to cut down all their damn products. I swear if it's electronic I can find a Sony version of it. Focus on the things they do really well (Gaming...and..??) and cut everything else out.
 
A

AdventureRacing

Member
Mako_Drug said:
You can't tell me that the execs believed the Vita would launch at that price and aimed at this market and would be breaking sales records, of course they didn't. They knew it would be a slow launch and all Sony consoles have had long lifespans and sold well over time, even the PS3.
Click to expand...

The PS3 also lost them a shitload of money, not much of a business strategy. As for having long life spans, that is true but the PS1, PS2, PSP and even the PS3 never started this badly. No way they planned to start this badly and if they did it was bad plan.
 
T

thuway

Member
This is probably some of the best news to come out of Sony all year. They have some amazing products no one is aware of (mp3 players, headphones, and smartphones) that could easily get a kick in R&D. Revamping the television business was the elephant in the room.
 
H

HylianTom

Banned
endresults said:
Oh but it is. Sony's financial situation is a factor in what direction they're going to go with PS4. Will we get a superpowered beast or an Angry Birds player?
Click to expand...

I still hope that they go absolutely all-in for a powerful machine. Sony's fans and IPs absolutely deserve it, and they've gotta keep-up with Microsoft.

(and LOL at everyone saying that this isn't gaming-related. Denial?)
 
S

SteveWinwood

Member
chris.trejo said:
They really need to cut down all their damn products. I swear if it's electronic I can find a Sony version of it. Focus on the things they do really well (Gaming...and..??) and cut everything else out.
Click to expand...

lol

You know some of their divisions actually have made them money recently. Hint: The gaming division wasn't one of them.
 
M

Mako_Drug

Member
AdventureRacing said:
The PS3 also lost them a shitload of money, not much of a business strategy. As for having long life spans, that is true but the PS1, PS2, PSP and even the PS3 never started this badly. No way they planned to start this badly and if they did it was bad plan.
Click to expand...

I don't see what any of this has to do with what I said. I never claimed they anticipated how badly the first 2 years of the launch would be, obviously bad choices were made combined with some situational factors such as blue diode availability. Nor did I say they were happy with the performance of the Vita.

All I was pointing to was that every(?) Sony system was initially sold at a loss so obviously they're looking at a long term strategy as opposed to short term profitability and hence as per the post I was replying to they would not change their hardware philosophy based on early Vita sales.
 
H

Himynameischris

Member
SteveWinwood said:
lol

You know some of their divisions actually have made them money recently. Hint: The gaming division wasn't one of them.
Click to expand...

Oh I didn't mean that gaming was profitable, I meant what they do really well as far as the product. PS3 is awesome and the Vita even more but I don't know if their TVs/Phones/Computers/Etc are any good.
 
R

REMEMBER CITADEL

Banned
Mako_Drug said:
You can't tell me that the execs believed the Vita would launch at that price and aimed at this market and would be breaking sales records, of course they didn't. They knew it would be a slow launch and all Sony consoles have had long lifespans and sold well over time, even the PS3.
Click to expand...

PS3 has sold well over time primarily because Sony has been heavily subsidizing it. Have you seen the losses that thing has caused?
 
P

Phonomezer

Banned
thuway said:
This is probably some of the best news to come out of Sony all year. They have some amazing products no one is aware of (mp3 players, headphones, and smartphones) that could easily get a kick in R&D. Revamping the television business was the elephant in the room.
Click to expand...

Very poor wording.

In any case, isn't this the 3rd wave of 10K layoffs since the PS3 launch? I wouldn't be expecting much out of the PS4 tbh.
 
O

Omiee

Member
sony should focus on the things they do right like everybody already said.

they are succesfull in their movie tv and music bussines.

They have a succesfull line of camera's and mp3 players.

forget about tablets etc just focus on the vita and ps4.

i also think they should just stop making phones, htc and samsung got the android market locked.
 
T

thehypocrite

Member
So much fud in here that even a cow would choke on it, but hey Nintendo is also getting fud threads and we can't have that!!!

Goes back to watch Jessica Nigri cosplay photos.
 
R

Rootbeer

Banned
I hope this doesn't negatively impact the Vita :( I love it and I want it to succeed.

I would LOVE to see Sony kick the tar out of Samsung and release some amazing phones (though I'll probably still just use an iPhone :p)
 
B

Busty

Banned
It's terrible that people are losing their jobs but Sony need to do something and I'm glad that Kaz is making the tough decisions.

I still think that we might see a situation where some Sony's of interests are spun off into other companies allowing Sony to cash in and still have close ties.

Omiee said:
sony should focus on the things they do right like everybody already said.

they are succesfull in their movie tv and music business.
Click to expand...

Music? Yes.

Film & TV? Ehhhhhh, they do okay. While they have a 'big 6' studio they aren't really knocking it out of the park. And their 'TV show division' has been weak for years.
 
A

AAequal

Banned
pramath said:
Whereas I am really sad for the people who are losing their jobs, from the company's perspective, this might be a good thing.
Sony's problem is that it is much too big, a lumbering giant spreading itself too thin across markets it has no business being in. A leaner, more trimmed Sony with a stronger focus on some core competencies might be the best thing to have happened to the company in recent times.
Click to expand...

Is it really? Samsung and Panasonic seems to do fine and both are spread thin in every business like Sony. Lesser extent same goes for LG Corp. Just because Apple has found good business model doesn't automatically mean everyone can do well by streamlining their product lines.
 
P

Phife Dawg

Member
HylianTom said:
(and LOL at everyone saying that this isn't gaming-related. Denial?)
Click to expand...
Ugh, it specifically says to affect chemicals and LCD branches (50 % of the cuts). Hirai also stated earlier (a couple of weeks ago? I think there was a thread as well) that he wants to focus on growth in the photography, mobile and gaming branches while taking hard and necessary steps in the TV branch so we can expect that the rest of the actions will affect the latter and not gaming.

Cipherr said:
Just please, god...... make more smartphones. Bleeding edge ones, fuck the mid and low tier. No Nokia on Android, so that leaves the only other gorgeous handset maker as Sony. Step your goddamn game up.
Click to expand...
In Germany Sony is heavily advertising its newest smartphone line (Xperia?). Dunno if they're bleeding edge, been burnt on Sony (Ericsson) mobiles before so I'll wait before giving them another chance.
 
E

evil solrac v3.0

Member
thuway said:
This is probably some of the best news to come out of Sony all year. They have some amazing products no one is aware of (mp3 players, headphones, and smartphones) that could easily get a kick in R&D. Revamping the television business was the elephant in the room.
Click to expand...

it's always awesome when people lose their jobs.
 
J

Jason2slow

Neo Member
Omiee said:
sony should focus on the things they do right like everybody already said.

they are succesfull in their movie tv and music bussines.

They have a succesfull line of camera's and mp3 players.

forget about tablets etc just focus on the vita and ps4.

i also think they should just stop making phones, htc and samsung got the android market locked.
Click to expand...

Are the Walkman's still popular?

Samsung I believe took the android market from HTC who previously was at the top before Samsung, and with Sony finally buying out Ericsson from their phone partnership, I'm more interested in a Sony phone than ever.
 
P

Phife Dawg

Member
evil solrac v3.0 said:
it's always awesome when people lose their jobs.
Click to expand...
If it helps to keep the company alive and thus securing the rest of the jobs, sure why not? Sony is in it deep and while I don't think their future lies in the medical business at least they now seem to be aware that they need to seriously restructure themselves to achieve former strength. Hirai as an inside man might be the better suit to go through with it than Stringer who was also coming from media and did not exactly help electronics to rise out of their slump.
 
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