RIM to lay off 2,000 employees

From CNET News.com: Research In Motion plans to lay off 2,000 employees, the company announced today.

The layoffs are part of a "cost optimization program" for RIM, whose lineup of handsets has been coming under increasing pressure from smartphones such as the iPhone and devices running Google's Android operating system. According to the Waterloo, Ontario-based company, the program "is focused on eliminating redundancies and reallocating resources to focus on areas that offer the highest growth opportunities and alignment with RIM's strategic objectives."

Affected employees in North America and in "certain other countries" will be notified this week, RIM says. The company will speak with affected employees in other countries "at a later date." RIM will be offering employees severance packages and outplacement support.

RIM announced its plans for layoffs last month. It said that at the time that it expected the workforce reduction to start in its second fiscal quarter, ending in late August. However, it didn't expect a financial benefit until its fiscal third quarter.

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