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From: rod@venera.isi.edu (Rodney Doyle Van Meter III)
Newsgroups: comp.arch,comp.misc
Subject: Bad Tidings?
Message-ID: <9984@venera.isi.edu>
Date: 3 Oct 89 17:44:31 GMT
Reply-To: rod@venera.isi.edu (Rodney Doyle Van Meter III)
Organization: USC-Information Sciences Institute
Lines: 33


Monday was a bad day for many Americans in the computer business.

Zenith agreed to sell its computer busniess to Groupe Bull, a leading
French hi-tech company, in a deal worth $635 million. No word on how
the computer arm itself would be affected, though one person was
quoted as saying Zenith made the right move, and in six months
probably would not have been able to sell the computer business at
all.

Cray Research, IBM, and Motorola all announced work force cutbacks.
Cray's cutbacks were layoffs of about 400 people (7% of their total
workforce), all at its Wisconsin manufacturing plant, because of
slowing sales.

Motorola is reducing its workforce by about 2.4%, or 2,500, mostly
from its U.S.-based communications and semiconductor products
operations. Motorola hopes the reduction can be achieved through
voluntary severance and attrition, though some layoffs may be
necessary.

IBM confirmed that it has offered voluntary severance at four
locations, and expects 600 to 1,000 workers to accept. It's probably
not their last layoff, though it's the third in recent years.

Honeywell is selling its 50% stake in HNSX Supercomputers Inc. to its
joint venture partner, NEC Corp. The company has made only a few
sales, none to U.S. buyers, where pressure to buy American
supercomputers is high.

How's that for a good day?

			--Rod