Home Computer Software Microsoft axes freelancers, contract writers at MSN

Microsoft axes freelancers, contract writers at MSN

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Microsoft Corp is giving Sun Light a layoff of dozens of contract and freelance writers from its MSN news and entertainment portal as the large tech firm seeks to reshape itself as a devices and services, and products company. A spokesperson for the company confirmed the layoffs but declined to specify the quantity or remark additional. An individual aware of the placement mentioned that the cuts might affect more than one hundred individuals in all.

The pruning of MSN writers, who make contributions to finish edit columns, blogs, and lines to the web page, comes just two months after Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer introduced a radical reorganization of the corporation, which is most effective now beginning to take effect.

Microsoft’s online services unit, mainly inclusive of the Bing search engine and MSN portal, is in line for a shake-up because it has by no means been successful and has lost nearly $three billion within the last two years. Some buyers have pressed for a sale of the unit. MSN used to be merged with Bing Apps, which also produces information, climate, and different content, within the July reorganization under the new head, Brian MacDonald.

While MSN is chopping its contractor funds, it is also planning to increase spending on full-time employees. MacDonald informed the Seattle Times and later validated to Reuters without giving any further details. The MSN website has been stagnating for the past year, with its U.S. monthly unique visitors stuck at about 116 million. In contrast, the extra popular Yahoo Inc. and AOL Inc. portals are growing faster, according to figures from trade analysis firm Comscore.

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Microsoft beefed up its MSN information operation only a year ago in coaching for the launch of Windows eight. The corporation wished to grow its skill to generate online content after the remaining summer season’s sale of its 50 percent stake in news website MSNBC.com to longtime associate NBCUniversal, now majority-owned by Comcast Corp. The shift away from the usage of freelance writers means MSN will likely depend on extra external sources, such as NBC, related Press, and Thomson Reuters.