By Pia Heikkila, 18 September 2001 08:00
NEWS AltaVista, the struggling portal and search engine company, has appointed a new CEO and laid off 30 per cent of its staff.
James Barrett, former chief of re-uniting website Myfamily.com, is the first CEO for the company since the departure of Rod Schrock over a year ago.
Barrett said the company's move into the portal business was a mistake and said he plans to focus on improving its core asset, the search engine technology, US wires report.
The total number of employers sacked is 160, which leaves AltaVista with a global workforce of 340. The company announced further job cuts in January this year and in September 2000 and has cancelled IPO plans twice.
The announcement is a desperate attempt to cut costs as the company continues to be hit by reduced traffic and a global slump in advertising revenue.
According to data from Jupiter Media Metrix, AltaVista fell from the 14th most visited site on the internet in May to 50th today.
For related stories:
AltaVista scotches IPO plans... again
http://www.silicon.com/a41930
AltaVista axes free internet access in the US
http://www.silicon.com/a41390
AltaVista chief resigns with bitter parting shot
http://www.silicon.com/a40348
AltaVista cuts a quarter of staff
http://www.silicon.com/a39770
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