Written by anti_aol

Complete History of AOL Layoffs, 1996-2010

Total AOL layoffs stand at about 18,765 people (see list below, fully updated), from a high of 20,000 to my estimate of 24,000 employed by AOL in its heyday.

This is my personal, fully updated list of AOL layoffs from 1996 to 2010. The chart I’ve included is an amalgam of three older charts: my last chart, which was built off of Owen Thomas’ in late 2007, and Alley Insider’s Nov., 2009 chart.

Mine are the only charts which count the pre-2001 layoffs and many layoffs that Owen didn’t check into, giving you a much more complete picture. This chart also corrects Alley Insider’s Nov., 2009 AOL layoff chart, which incorrectly predicted 2,200 layoffs for Dec. 2009.

My first chart (the one I made in 2007) also incorrectly counted a 2005 layoff as happening again in 2006, and counted one Dec. 2006 layoff as happening twice (I hate sloppy editing!), so I’ve fixed the chart and the list that follows it to correct those errors as well.

AOL Layoffs, 1996-2010 - click here for full-size chart

(Click chart or click here for full-size version)

I cleaned the chart up a little for publication, so here’s the obligatory link to the online chart-maker. The chart was created on, and is hosted by, chartgizmo.com.

Layoffs from most to least recent (in reverse order):

  • Jan. 2010: 1400 – Alley Insider – ostensibly based on company spokeswoman Patricia Primrose’s statement that 1100 AOLers took the VSP from Nov.-Dec., 2009. This helps Alley Insider reach Tim Armstrong’s target figure, mentioned in AOL’s 8-K filings, of 2500 people laid off.
  • Dec. 2009: 1100 – the amount of people who took the VSP (Voluntary Seperation Package) between Nov.-Dec., 2009. People voluntary quit in exchange for better severance packages than those who elected to stay on until formal layoffs.
  • March 2009: 500 – this is my figure, based on 100 Chinese AOLers let go in March 2009, and “small” or rolling layoffs in effect in the US.
  • Jan.-Dec. 2008: 530 (taken from Alley Insider’s chart – they list no specific source, and there are no confirmed sources online).
  • Jan.-Dec. 2007: 2000 (no source, but insiders claim “rolling layoffs”, in which small groups are laid off all year long, were in effect).
  • December 2007: 100 – (this figure is pure speculation, but believed to be accurate) Silicon Alley Insider
  • October 2007: 2000 – Silicon Alley Insider
  • February 2007: 600 – (couldn’t find a working link for this; might not be accurate) Washington Post
  • December 2006: 500 – CRN
  • October 2006: 1400 – The Consumerist
  • May 2006: 1300 – BBC
  • October 2005: 700 – USA Today
  • December 2004: 750-950 (depends on source) – 750: C|Net or 950: Slashdot
  • December 2003: 450 – C|Net
  • July 2003: 50 – ZDNet
  • December 2002: 300 – WinInsider
  • November 2002: 90 – ClickZ
  • May 2002: 140 – Washington Post Pay-to-Access
  • August, 2001: 1200 – ZDNet
  • January 2001: 2400 – ZDNet
  • March 1999: 850 – Washington Post
  • November 1998: 105 – C|Net
  • November 1996: 300 – C|Net

For more about the layoffs, check my AOL Layoffs section.