"Egenera laying off workers in Bay State; Marlborough firm's cuts reflect wariness in high-tech sector" by Robert Weisman, Globe Staff | November 4, 2008
Business software maker Egenera Inc. notified employees yesterday it will eliminate 87 jobs worldwide, including 30 to 35 at its Marlborough headquarters, in the latest sign that Massachusetts technology companies are bracing for a worsening economic downturn.
Egenera sells "virtualization" software, technology that enables one networking machine in a corporate data center to behave as many, running different operating systems at the same time. Its customers include hundreds of financial, healthcare, manufacturing, service, and retail businesses in the United States and worldwide.
Other Massachusetts technology companies, which had hoped to escape the fallout from an economic crisis originating in the housing and financial sectors, also have begun cutting payrolls. California-based THQ Inc. yesterday said it is closing Helixe, a Burlington software studio that makes games for the Nintendo DS handheld videogame system, eliminating 30 jobs.
Plexus Corp., a maker of printed circuit boards, told the state's Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development last month it will be closing a plant in Ayer between now and Jan. 31, idling 170 workers. ACT Electronics Inc. indicated it would close a Hudson electronic assembly plant on Nov. 28, shedding 27 jobs, according to a published report.
Tewksbury's Avid Technology Inc., a maker of video editing software, recently said it's laying off 54 workers in Massachusetts and 20 in New Hampshire. And at least three dozen Verizon Communications engineers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island will lose their jobs this month as part of a broader retrenchment at the telecom company.
Egenera, backed by venture capital, was founded in March 2000 by Vern Brownell, a former chief technology officer at the Goldman Sachs & Co. investment bank. --more--"
He couldn't get a piece of that bailout pie?
More bad news: Tweeter to shutter remaining stores
US auto sales drop to lowest in 17 years
Consumers cutting back on cuts
