Microsoft may be looking to make some changes in its marketing division which unfortunately may include layoffs for hundreds of its employees. Bloomberg reports, via unnamed sources, that the final plans have not yet been set in stone and may still change. The first actions as a result of these plans could happen in the next 30 days, according to the report.
Microsoft is reportedly making these changes to its marketing division to eliminate some job overlap and also to better respond to its competitors such as Apple. The report claims that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer doesn"t feel that the company is currently getting the best return for the money it spends on marketing. In the company"s last fiscal year Microsoft spent $13.9 billion on sales and marketing.
If Microsoft does end up laying off workers as a result of the marketing division restructuring, it would only be the second time in the company"s history that Microsoft said good bye to a large number of its team members at once. In 2009, at the height of the economic crisis, Microsoft laid off a total of 5,000 employees.