MOUNTAIN VIEW — In its continuing drive to cut costs and streamline operations, security software giant Symantec confirmed Thursday that it will be cutting jobs.
Responding to a report by the AllThingsD blog that 1,700 positions would be eliminated, a company representative called that number “pure speculation,” but in a statement acknowledged that “Symantec is in the midst of a companywide transformation. As part of this effort, we are engaged in a companywide reorganization. As a result, some positions are being eliminated.”
The company’s fix-it plan has been known publicly for months, while the precise head count of those losing their jobs remains a mystery. Thursday’s blog, which attributed the 1,700
Symantec’s headquarters in Mountain View. (Symantec photo)
number to “sources familiar with the company’s plan,” said the layoffs would occur in stages, beginning as early as this month. In its May annual report, Symantec claimed 21,500 workers. If 1,700 lose their jobs, that would amount to about 8 percent of the company’s total workforce.