The latest job cuts at Lenovo raise questions for the future of the iconic Motorola brand. Image: Docmai/Shutterstock
The once iconic mobile brand Motorola has succumbed to another raft of job cuts as new owner Lenovo reduces the combined company’s workforce by 1,100.
Chinese tech giant Lenovo, which employs 55,000 people worldwide, has announced it is laying off 2pc of its global workforce.
It is understood that the majority of cuts will take place at Motorola, the mobile phone brand Lenovo acquired for just under $3bn two years ago.
Prior to this acquisition, Motorola had been taken over by Google for $12.5bn in 2011.
This move comes a year after Lenovo cut its workforce by 3,200.
Death by over a thousand cuts
According to Droid Life, citing sources, the latest raft of cuts will see 700 out of 1,200 of Motorola’s remaining workforce in Chicago lose their jobs.
In a statement, Lenovo said: “Lenovo today announced a resource action impacting less than two percent of its approximately 55,000 employees globally. The majority of the positions being eliminated are part of the ongoing strategic integration between Lenovo and its Motorola smartphone business as the company further aligns its organisation and streamlines its product portfolio to best compete in the global smartphone market.”
It added: “Lenovo is absolutely committed to Chicago and we plan to maintain our Motorola Mobility headquarters there.
“Chicago has a well-deserved reputation for technical excellence, and as the hub of our global R&D for our smartphone business, we expect to take advantage of local talent to continue developing Moto products there.”
The latest job cuts signal an ignominious end for a venerable mobile giant founded in 1928, whose radio signals played a vital role in winning World War II for the allies.
