The struggling tech giant has slashed the jobs of 900 employees, including around 200 U.S. editorial staff. Sites such as Gadling, DailyFinance and Stylelist were hit with major layoffs. Among those who lost their jobs were PoliticsDaily editor in chief Melinda Henneberger and Stylelist editorial director Colleen Curtis.
In a memo to the AOL team, CEO Tim Armstrong outlined some of the details of the reorganization. Most of the layoffs will occur at the company's India offices. AOL will be creating department editor and general manager positions for different pieces of its content business. It will also rely less on freelancers and hire more full-time journalists.
Naturally, Armstrong laid on the praise for his prized acquisition, The Huffington Post and its co-founder Arianna Huffington. The newly-formed Huffington Post Media Group, which includes AOL content such as Engadget, Moviefone, and MapQuest, is a centerpiece of Armstrong's strategy. "With Arianna's leadership and vision, HPMG will be fueled by high-quality editorial content," he said. It will also "give AOL the enhanced ability to deliver a scaled and differentiated array of premium news, analysis, entertainment, information and community."