Jobs go at Google’s advertising unit, DoubleClick

Google is to shed 300 jobs in the US at its online advertising unit, DoubleClick. The job cuts represent about a quarter of its global workforce.

As well as job cuts, Google is proposing to sell a DoubleClick unit called Performics Search Marketing.

Eric Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, has suggested that overseas operations, employing a further 300 people, will also be affected at a later date. Back in March, Mr Schmidt gave a heads-up that job cuts would be likely and that those outside the US would be made in accordance with local law.

In a statement, the company said since our acquisition of DoubleClick closed on March 11, we have been working to match and align DoubleClick employees in the US with our organisational plan for the business.

As with many mergers, this review has resulted in a reduction in head-count at the acquired company, said the company.

Some employees have already left, while Google said others are being offered transitional roles, or contract jobs, which are expected to end after the 2 companies are fully integrated.

At more than $3 billion (£1.5 billion), Google’s purchase of DoubleClick is its largest to date and completed less than a month ago, after being held up by regulators for 12 months.

Industry watchers maintain that the decision to sell off Performics Search Marketing makes good business sense and that Google’s primary focus is to get paid as much as possible for the adverts that appear on its pages.

A spokesperson for Google concluded that the business would continue to run as a separate entity until the division was sold.

Story link: Jobs go at Google’s advertising unit, DoubleClick