I know this is a gossip site, but a lot of people, include me, lost their jobs today. It would behoove you to show a little compassion.

Losing your job is awful. And scary. So have your fun at Yahoo's expense, but remember, these are real people getting the shaft. And even though I am one of the unlucky, I do respect Yahoo for cutting dead weight. It is beyond needed. It just stinks that it's me. But, as someone pretty new to Yahoo, and I was relieved it was me who got cut and not one of my extremely hardworking co-workers who have been with the company for years.

Big love to those unexpectedly entering the job market today. Good luck out there!

Perhaps the late Rep Tom Lantos had it right when he said to Jerry, "While technologically and financially you are giants, morally you are pygmies".

Dude, your Yahoo sources have always been crap. I think people are deliberately feeding you bad info so that Yahoo employees don't trust anything on the site.

I was laid off today. Cuts at management level may have been targetted. But in the ranks, they appear random. Good people are being let go while so-so people stay. Positions are cut and not workers. We'll have two months to find alternate positions if we want while keeping our status (eg: future packages). So I expect a lot of shaking as the good people are hired back in to new roles.

The exit was not dramatic. I had plenty of time to clean up and say goodbye to people. I walked myself out.

I currently expect to receive my bonus.

@notmygig: Compassion does not require a saccharine display of handkerchief-dabbing. Today's unfortunate ex-Yahoos are best served by seeing the truth get out, not quiet mollycoddling.

Jeez Owen, what an A**HOLE you can be. Snark is one thing--mean-spirited snark is another. And please explain, exactly, what's the important "truth" you're getting out in this post?

@NOTMYGIG: I lost my job at Yahoo! as well, circa late 2001. Layoffs suck. But toughen up. If you're looking for compassion, what are you doing on Valleywag the day you got laid off? C'mon. At least there was some info in this entry. Good luck with the job search. Yahoo! is still a good name to have on your resume.

Chin-up newly ex-Yahoos! You've got great experience and work in the richest tech job market in the world. I have witnessed many many AOL layoffs in Virginia over the last few years -- those poor folks had much more to worry about.

dudes - almost every designer ID/Viz de got the boot in my department today. if anyone of us didnt see the writing on the wall weeks ago, and were 'unexpectedly' let go, or were surprised, they are just a buncha ding dongs! anyway - i got my three months severence. and i couldnt be happier. i did a relo to go work for yahoo. love the new city, spending 3 hours a day on that 'free' shuttle' - not so much. in july they had a hiring binge! 100s of new people indoctrinated every monday! and now, many of those same people will be subjected to an 'uplifting' little get together tomorrow where hr gives us the the dl on their 'support' system for us. all i know is NONE Of execs, vps, or PMs got canned from my group, only designers and engineers. they only kept the junior/production drones. all senior designers GONE! way to go yahoo! way to go!!

"If you're looking for compassion, what are you doing on Valleywag the day you got laid off"

Ouch, but oh so true. It's kinda like driving by the car wreck, you just can't help but look.

Thanks for the support from those who gave it.

My point was just that it's not sport...it's people's lives. And what am I doing on here the day I got laid off? I mean...wouldn't you?

And don't worry, Arnaud. I'm tough enough. I couldn't believe what I was doing was a real job anyway.

PS - Want info? 3 months severance and no letters of rec for anyone. We were given time to pack up in peace and say goodbye.

I went through a 50% layoff in mid-2001. It wasn't fun, and I definitely feel your pain. I remember a lot of grown adults crying like babies that day, largely because it was during an already tough job market.

Keep your spirits high - you'll do fine. Get together with some of your ex-Yahoo buddies and bond together. Help one another out in whatever way you can - emotional support, a job lead, whatever.

"Winston Smith" is wrong. A friend at Y! who was let go said that he and everyone he has spoken to are getting 3 months severance.

Not sure where the 2 months information is coming from. You guys seem too willing to print and reproduce "tips" that lack all indicia of reliability.

Owen Thomas is a fucking cunt.

Notmygig, sorry to hear that and I hope you land on your feet quick. Some of the best and brightest I know were laid off.

Well the good thing is this happening after the MSFT bid so at least these ex-yahoos have viable stock options. When I left Y! I had nothing but underwater options.

I think Jerry Yang is a pretty cool guy. he fires people and doesnt afraid of anything.

@NOTMYGIG: I didn't get any severance when I got laid off, nor any letter of recommendation. This was post-9/11, things were bad for everybody. Now granted, I had been at the company long enough that my remaining vested stock options weren't underwater. But 3 months severance is not bad. QADude is right, stay positive - the market is not nearly as bad as circa 2002 - yet. Good luck. Use the good ole Y! alumni network to find a job. There are plenty of us around.

@Owen Thomas: Don't be such a lazy douche. Why don't you ask one of your many alleged moles at Yahoo for the truth? You don't seem to know @#$%.

I laid someone off today from Yahoo and handed the person a packet with 3 months severance, including health care and accrued vacation, and Yahoo honored all bonuses and commissions earned. Termination dates are all in the future after the bonus payment date in March.

So bash away at all the pork, slow decision making and lack of urgency among execs, but also try to check a fact or two.

@Arnaud H: I"m with you. Whimpering is unseemly; surfing for compassion at Gawker Media is just stupid. Carlson's a blogger, not a therapist.

The breadth of the "targeted" cuts was a bit shocking. The were much more across the board, and ended up cutting into areas that are supposed to be vital to the company. It's all very self-defeating in terms of credibility.

Our society rewards the wrong people. I'm one of those people who never gets laid off and wish that I would sometimes. I quit Yahoo cause everyone around me was making it too hard to get anything done. I've never quit a job before, but every time I'd look at my Yahoo laptop, I would have to run to the restroom to throw up. I just read that one of the a**holes who was making life impossible for me there was laid off. So, he gets a handsome paid 3 month vacation and will probably snap up a new job pretty easily in the valley. Plus bonuses and whatever else they are rewarding jerks with these days.

Hello, I was a good employee. I would like a paid 3 month vacation.

It doesn't pay to be a good employee. You're better off being one of the a-holes who gets laid off.

This mole will confirm that the packages included 3 months of pay (2 months on payroll without duties + 1 month severance) plus payout of accrued vacation, plus eligibility for bonuses as part of the normal annual review cycle. Since bonuses are always contingent, I don't think Y! is making much of a commitment to paying them, but they didn't shut the door on it.

I can also confirm that the majority of the cuts were bottom 5-10% of performers across job functions and business units. This seems like a good step for Yahoo!, which has had a hard time letting go of under-performers.

There were also some unfortunates whose jobs were eliminated and there was no place to put them. This seems to have been most common in supporting functions like program management.

I heard the layoff's got real ugly. One employee was even harassed at his home. Yahoo needs a hard lesson on how to be professional. They allow exec's to take lavish business trips and hire family with no real job function, but yet they layoff's honest & hard workers!
Shareholders must be proud. Yahoo is the WORST company I have ever worked. I worked at start-ups that had their %$&@ together more than Yahoo!