HTC America lays off 20% of its employees
Following last week's disappointing numbers, which showed a 16% dip in revenues for August, HTC America has laid off a significant portion of their workers. According to The Verge, 30 employees and contractors from the US branch of the Taiwanese company have been let go, constituting 20% of the division.
HTC characterized the move as "decisive action" that is intended "to streamline and optimize our organization and improve efficiencies after several years of aggressive growth", but the fact remains that the company is in a difficult situation. Last month's poor numbers were made worse by the news that high-level staff members had been arrested over alleged corporate theft, and the company is expected to close the year at a loss.
Unfortunately, the future might not bode well for HTC, with Microsoft's recent acquisition of Nokia possibly pushing them out of the Windows Phone arena. On the other hand, the company has demonstrated an ability to create quality devices, as evidenced by their HTC One flagship smartphone, and all it takes is one big success to turn things around.