Motorola's woes continue. Lenovo, which acquired Motorola from Google in 2014, laid off some of the phone maker's staff last summer after some troubling financial reports, and now the pink slips have shown up again. Despite some positive buzz from the Moto X, Moto G, and Moto Z families of smartphones, Lenovo has decided to lay off much of its Chicago-based Motorola staff. The layoffs will purportedly affect over half of the phone manufacturer's remaining workforce.
Droid Life shared a statement from Motorola which confirms the "resource action." The company didn't provide exact numbers, but indicated that the layoffs affect less than 2% of its 55,000 employees across the globe. Lenovo claims that the positions are being eliminated as part of its continuing efforts to integrate Motorola into its business. The company did quash any rumors that the remaining positions might be relocated, claiming that Lenovo is "absolutely committed to Chicago."
This is hardly the first time that Motorola has lost employees in recent years. Android Police notes that Motorola had about 20,000 employees in 2012, the year after the company was acquired by Google. After the current round of pink slips, Motorola will have about 500 employees, meaning that 97.5% of its workforce has been laid off in the last four years.