Social networking giant MySpace has announced its latest belt-tightening moves in an effort to make the company more nimble and improve its bottom line: MySpace will be reducing its international staff by about two thirds—from 450 people to just 150—and plans to close at least four of its offices outside the United States.
According to the company, about half of MySpace’s user base comes from outside the United States. The move comes not even a week after MySpace announced it was cutting 420 positions, or about a third of its total workforce. After the latest round of cuts, MySpace will have about 700 employees.
“Maintaining productive and efficient operations in our international markets is important to users worldwide and our immediate financial strength,” said newly-installed MySpace CEO Owen Van Natta, in a statement. “As we conducted our review of the company, it was clear that internationally, just as in the U.S., MySpace’s staffing had become too big and cumbersome to be sustainable in current market conditions.”
Under the international restructuring, MySpace’s offices in London, Sydney, and Berlin will become the company’s primary regional hubs, while offices in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, India, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Sweden, and Spain are being eyed for shutdown. MySpace China—which is a locally-owned and managed company—and MySpace’s joint venture in Japan are not impacted by the cutbacks.
