Google layoffs and service cuts

The recession has hit Google, as they have announced layoffs, office closures and service cutbacks.

The Associated Press reports that Google is closing engineering offices in Austin, Texas; Trondheim, Norway and Lulea, Sweden, a step the company said would affect 70 workers. They are also laying off 100 recruiters. Google currently employs 20,100, so the layoffs represent less than one percent of their workforce.

Google also announced they are closing down or changing four of their less popular features. In separate announcements, they said
Google Notebook, a feature that allows users to save and bookmark text notes, will stop accepting new users and Google Catalog search, a searchable trove of product catalogs, will be shut down. Google is also ceasing work on Jaiku, an application that let cell phone users broadcast their whereabouts to friends, and closing Dodgeball.com and Mashup Editor. Google Video will no long accept user-uploaded content, according to the AP report.