With its profits sagging, and a disappointing outlook for 2008, it seemed that Yahoo! had no choice but to announce the inevitable: a cut of 1,000 jobs, scheduled to take place in mid-February. It seems that even a corporate giant such as Yahoo! can spread itself too thin. Along with the job cut, Yahoo! plans to focus more sharply on online advertising, that Xanadu of web companies everywhere, and deemphasize or discontinue a number of other services, including photos, podcasts, and its unsuccessful social network.
Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang, maintains that the company will be focused on three goals: becoming the launching pad for consumers on the web, making Yahoo a top choice for online advertisers, and opening Yahoo!'s technology to third-party development. To that end, Yahoo'!s focus has narrowed to search, mail, news, finance, and sports -- services that are always in demand.
Here's hoping that Yahoo!'s growing pains are quick and relatively trouble-free.
[via New York Times]
