Wired Ventures Unit Expected to Lay Off 40

The cousin of cyber-journal Wired magazine is expected to lay off as many as 40 of its more than 160 staff members, possibly as early as today, sources said. Executives at the San Francisco-based unit of Wired Ventures, which operates Wired’s Hotwired Web site and other online programs, were unavailable for comment. But sources said the move was aimed at shutting down a number of programs that have languished too long in development, while strengthening several that have demonstrated commercial promise, including HotBot, the company’s World Wide Web search engine; Wired News, a news site; and Suck, an online magazine. Wired’s digital unit has long been considered overstaffed and under-performing by insiders at highly successful Wired magazine. The unit was revamped after the cancellation of Wired Ventures’ planned initial public offering last year.