The Taiwan-based HTC is pairing down its workforce in the U.S., with about 30 of its employees and contractors reportedly laid off from the HTC America division late on Friday. The Verge reports that there were about 150 people who worked at HTC America prior to Friday's cutbacks, which means that 20 percent of its workforce were affected.
The same report has a statement from HTC America, which did not reveal specific layoff numbers. It did say that it made a "decisive action ... to streamline and optimize our organization and improve efficiencies after several years of aggressive growth." The statement added that the division continues to hire people to work in "strategic areas" and encouraged the people who were laid off Friday to apply for those open positions.
This is just the latest chapter in HTC's current financial struggles as the Windows Phone and Android smartphone maker has seen sales of its products go down while competitors like Nokia and Samsung have taken more of HTC's market share. Earlier this week, the company denied that it was planning to replace HTC's current CEO Peter Chou. The company reportedly has some future products in its pipeline, including a mid-range Android device, the Zara, along with a 4.7-inch Windows Phone device.
Source: The Verge
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