PeopleLink Lays Off People

By KAREN KAPLAN

Dec. 4, 2000 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

PeopleLink, the Idealab-backed company that makes online communications software, laid off nearly 20% of its staff last week to tighten its belt. Former employees said roughly 25 of the Santa Monica firm’s 140 employees were told they were losing their jobs Wednesday. A company spokesman said the decision was made to allow 4-year-old PeopleLink to preserve cash in an effort to become profitable next year. The layoffs also reflect a recent strategic shift by PeopleLink to target its community-building software to Fortune 1,000 companies instead of online entertainment, new media and other Internet start-ups, the spokesman said.

Technology and the Internet Business

Karen Kaplan

Karen Kaplan covers science and medical research for the Los Angeles Times. She has been a member of the science team since 2005, including 13 years as an editor. Her first decade at The Times was spent covering technology in the Business section as both a reporter and editor. She grew up in San Diego and is a graduate of MIT and Columbia University.

PeopleLink Lays Off People

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