Sony cutting plants, 8,000 jobs by April 2010

I hate this news. It's heartbreaking.

If 8,000 staff reduction isn't enought is because the people they are firing have the smallest salaries. Poor people.

People are losing jobs due to economy/supply & demand. Boyz, lets keep that in mind before posting pointless rants stating "its over for Sony".

:P

8000 full time employees AND 8000 temps, for a grand total of 16,000.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Temp count is being played down significantly either, as those are much easier for companies to get rid of.

Sony has made a lot of costly mistakes in the past year. They got by on some incredible luck with the PSX and PS2 that hasn't materialized this year thanks to an early release of the 360 that really gained steam despite MSFT's hardware issues. Plus with the Wii on the "casual" side that Sony owned last gen thanks to the DVD player in the PS2, things are looking a lot different.

Brand can do a lot, but not everything. Sony has found that out the hardware.

Who left that PS3 in a field?

Bu-dum-tish!

Sony's electronic division is to do with TVs, mobile phones and stuff.

PS3, PSP and PS2 are a different divsion, so *this* shouldn't affect their gaming consoles.

Still, unless they start making money soonish, I doubt the Sony higher-up will be happy.

If it were anything called onto the chopping block, it would be the PS3 and not the PSP, but Sony's strategy still looks towards long-term profitability for PS3, and if they lose their nerve in the short term, they could seriously damage that plan.

Muu is right. Bloomberg also mentions the 16,000 cuts figure. According that news site:
"The company will cut the number of manufacturing sites by 10 percent by the end of next fiscal year, from 57 currently. Sony will postpone investment plans at its plant in Slovakia that assembles liquid-crystal-display televisions for the European market and plans to end production at two overseas manufacturing sites, including one in France that produces tape and other recording media."

Sad news but, so far, no word on their Playstation line facilities.

This is bad news for everyone. No company is immune (except maybe Nintendo).

I would hate to see this become a flame war between MS and Sony fanboys. People are losing their jobs, families are being destroyed and worst of all, when this happens suicide numbers increase.

It is usually the lower level employees that take the hit when cutbacks are implemented. Very sad indeed.

*fanboy* Sony's going down! Whooooooooooo! Burning Sony, Burning! You're console sucks! */fanboy*

Sucks to be a Sony employee. I suppose Black Friday sales weren't so good on Sony tvs and stereos this year.

Much of this is attributable to the Yen/US dollar exchange rate. If the economists are correct the US dollar is going to go down like Jenna Jameson in a block buster Vivid production. This will make this year look like a picnic for Japanese manufacturers next year.

Yea don't delete my messages so I'll post it again.

This is the end of Sony.

Being in the hardware industry, its more likely to effect Sony then the other two companies, thus the reason SCE hasn't been hit by the crisis. People always need software, but they don't always need hardware, its like how people tend to need milk and bread over chocolate spread and coke.

Its sad to see this ongoing circle, woolworths hit rock bottom and literally had to sell stores for as little as £4. Jobs are being cut like crazy and those remaining are loosing motivation for fear they'll be next. Well known businesses are crashing, estate agents are crashing and dropping like flies and everyone is miserable.

This year will be the most dire christmas in a long time, and for many, new years resolution will be the HOPE that they manage to get back on thier feet financially.

Sony has become the equivalent of a fat bloated Hydra. They have been run by out of touch CEOs with the belief that Brand name trumps all logic. They over price out sourced merchandise that isn't, in this case, even the best in the electronics arena for sometime. Making matters worse, they compete against themselves for profit & have no sense of synergy, causing one division to charge another. They, like the American Auto Industry, should fail because they are out of touch with reality and customer needs and concerns. They think, "We'll make it and they'll have to buy it, period." Problem is people might not be bright but they are being forced by economics created by corporate & elite greed into becoming more informed due to the fact that they can't afford to be as dumb and in the sand as they have been in the past. Times are changing, and if they, corporations & governments, don't change with them they will be left behind or dismantled.

Poor People, I'll be there was all kinds of hard working people then, to the old man that doesn't have insurance and have to keep working even in a old age to the new kid gamer that was just so happy to work for the company that makes the videogames and electronics that he loves so much.

it's heartbreaking =(.

How is it that you turn a story about SONY's electronics division into a fanboy rant about the PS3? You DO know that SONY is much more than PlayStation right? You DID read that this isn't the SCE division right? You DO know that SONY has been trimming staff since 2005 right? You do know that 8-16k in workers over a year and a half will be mainly contract and attrition right?

Got banned again, I see. An intelligent person would have taken the hint by now.

Your supidity is endless. It's amazing sometimes.

I don't really think many of us that claimed that the PS3 was successful, we just said that it is a superb machine, to say otherwise is rather stupid.

As for the second paragraph, you do know that we are undergoing through global recession right? meaning that all around the world jobs are being cut, its not only Sony, you have Ford, GM, even AT&T cutting their workforce. So, according to your reasoning, it was also their fault for picking the wrong company to work for? You are a fucking tool man

Ah ha, true to your name, TheSociopathicDouche rises again!

This is not about one division, it's about a corporation being run into the ground by out of touch elites, CEOs in this case. They believe people will buy whatever they make at their overpriced MSRP and they for the most part are right. Only thing is things are changing economically due to all the pass the buck grab it while you can no shame greed and lack of pride that's been going on for too long. Fairness & solid craftsmanship is not a commodity that has been taken seriously or wanted as well.

In Sony's case their out of touch business polices & practices towards consumers have been catching up to them as it has for other corporations for a while now. But Sony being as blind as the next bloated Corporation too many chiefs and not enough Indians so to speak. One thing is sure, its harder to get back brand loyal customers that leave disappointed than acquiring new customers. Circuit City can tell you that. They were once big and mighty till upstart Best Buy came into the picture with better customer relations. Now CC has improved immensely and can't get buyers back even if BB has become the old CC. The only BB will learn CC's lesson is when a new upstart arrives on the scene, but in these times that looks grim.

It's under nine thousand!!

I really think phoenix works for joystiq. His comments must bring extra hits to this website. He's pretty good at trolling. I don't think he actually gets banned, but lets us think he does so we don't start lashing out at joystiq. It's amazing how effortlessly he gets people so worked up. Well, i like joystiq, so i guess i support his trolling if it helps pay the bills.

Why is it that the most rabid X-Box fanboys on these threads can never seem to tell the difference between 'they're', 'there', and 'their'?