AOL had a round of layoffs today affecting a “double digit” number of employees, according to sources with knowledge of the company.
We reported on larger AOL layoffs (with hundreds affected) in August of last year, and then again in January. Those cuts stemmed mostly from the challenges at, and eventual spin out (as a joint venture with Hale Global) of, hyperlocal news effort Patch.
One source said that today’s layoffs reflect consolidation and restructuring, rather than broader cuts. They said AOL (which owns TechCrunch) continues to hire in other areas such as video and programmatic advertising.
Another source speculated that along with the Patch layoffs, this could potentially be a move toward packaging AOL for a sale. However, the aforementioned hiring, the $90 million acquisition of Gravity, and the company’s strong performance in recent earnings doesn’t make that seem all that likely.
I’ve reached out to the company and will update if I hear back.
[image via flickr/Kelly Reeves]
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