Yahoo to splash workforce

Yahoo plans to lay off more than 20 percent of its total 8,600 workforce as part of a major restructuring.

The  company is reorganising its advertising unit, which will lose more than half of the department by the end of the year.

Nearly 1,000 employees will be affected by the cuts by the end of the week.

Yahoo is the latest tech firm to announce job losses as firms struggle with a downturn in demand, high inflation and rising interest rates.

“These decisions are never easy, but we believe these changes will simplify and strengthen our advertising business for the long run, while enabling Yahoo to deliver better value to our customers and partners,” a spokesperson said.

Yahoo, who has been owned by private equity firm Apollo Global Management since a $5bn buyout in 2021, added that the move would enable the company to narrow its focus and investment on its flagship ad business called DSP, or demand-side platform.

Advertising changes

The layoffs are part of a broader effort by the company to streamline operations in Yahoo’s advertising unit.

It comes as many advertisers have pared back their marketing budgets in response to record-high inflation rates and continued uncertainty about a recession.

The re-focus signals an intention by the firm to stop competing directly against the likes of Google and Facebook’s Meta for digital advertising dominance.

The Yahoo spokesperson added: “The new division will be called – simply – Yahoo Advertising.

“In redoubling our efforts on the DSP on an omni-channel basis, we will prioritise support for our top global customers and re-launch dedicated ad sales teams towards Yahoo’s owned and operated properties – including Yahoo Finance, Yahoo News, Yahoo Sports and more.”

BBC/Dominica Nwabufo