MySpace to Cut 30% of Staff as Facebook Gains Ground

By Jennifer Martinez | Tuesday, June 16, 2009 | 11:16 AM PT | 3 comments |

myspace-logoMySpace is cutting nearly 30 percent of its U.S. workforce, or roughly 420 people, the social networking site said today, bringing its total number of U.S. employees to around 1,000. The announcement comes just two months after MySpace CEO Chris DeWolfe and President Tom Anderson left the struggling social network site, and a day after comScore released data that showed the number of unique U.S. visitors on Facebook eclipsed MySpace for the first time ever in May.

After DeWolfe and Anderson left in April, former Facebook COO Owen Van Natta took the helm at MySpace as the new CEO. In a statement released this morning, Van Natta said:

“Simply put, our staffing levels were bloated and hindered our ability to be an efficient and nimble team-oriented company. I understand that these changes are painful for many. They are also necessary for the long-term health and culture of MySpace. Our intent is to return to an environment of innovation that is centered on our user and our product.”

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