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AOL Laying Off 1,200

European offices shut down in latest round of restructuring

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 12, 2010 4:07 AM CST

(Newser) – The ax will fall on 1,200 AOL workers this week in the last stage of the company's goal to shed a total of 2,500 jobs, about a third of its workforce. Many European offices will be closed as part of the company's plan to restructure as a Web publisher, reports the Washington Post.

This week's layoffs mark "the completion of phase one of AOL's turnaround," said an exec at the firm, which employed over 20,000 people at its peak. This round of restructuring will cost it $200 million, but the company expects to save $300 million in annual operating expenses as a result, according to company officials.

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The AOL Running Man logo decorates a coffee mug in AOL's New York office. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

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This is a large behemoth trying to reposition itself as a smaller, more agile player in the online publishing space. The big question is whether AOL is going to be able to adapt fast enough. - Digital Trends analyst Scott Steinberg

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AOL Laying Off 1,200