Google lays off 25% of U.S. DoubleClick employees

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

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, or about 300 people, are being let go or are being offered transitional roles. DoubleClick has about 1,200 employees in the U.S.

"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 first announced its plans for the $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.

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