Austonia AM
100% Austin news, info, and entertainment, straight to your inbox at 6 a.m. every morning.
In five minutes, you're fully informed and ready to start another great day in our city.
×
Featured
austonia newsletter
Get connected with our daily update
Most viewed
GoDaddy to close both Austin offices and lay off hundreds of workers as pandemic impacts business
24 June 2020
(GoDaddy)
GoDaddy has offices across the country, including this one in Sunnyvale, Calif.
The tech company GoDaddy announced Wednesday it would be laying off more than 300 workers, including many in Austin, and closing both of its offices there as well.
The change comes as the company, which offers website-hosting services as well as social media management for businesses, has experienced revenue losses in the latter of the two offerings, formally known as GoDaddy Social. The office closings and layoffs were announced in an email to employees from the company's CEO Aman Bhutani.
Overall, GoDaddy's financial expectations for the second quarter have actually gone up despite the pandemic. This follows a trend seen across many tech companies in recent months, which have been able to maintain a firm economic standing even as other sectors have fallen drastically. Nevertheless, the decline in revenue from GoDaddy Social, which is heavily based in Austin, created the need for steep cuts to that part of the company.
"Even as our overall business continues to perform well and we are updating our revenue guidance for Q2 as evidence of that, we are still facing challenges in U.S. outbound sales, including GoDaddy Social sales," Bhutani said in the email, which was posted to the company's website. "The outbound sales teams have made many creative efforts over the last three months to reverse the impacts of COVID-19, but the results of these improvements are still far below what we need for the operations to be sustainable."
Shortly after announcing the layoffs, the company issued a statement saying its second-quarter revenue would exceed previous expectations by 1%. Purchases of website domains and marketing services led the rise, the company says.
The layoffs also come just a year and a half after GoDaddy purchased Main Street Hub, a social media management company based in Austin, for $125 million.
From Your Site Articles
- Google delays returning to Austin offices as COVID-19 spikes - austonia ›
- NPR's KUT/ KUTX ask for furloughs due to budget shortfall - austonia ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Popular
Austonia file photo. (Christa McWhirter/Austonia)
Police have arrested one of two suspects involved in a mass shooting at Austin's Sixth Street in the early morning hours on Saturday, leaving 14 people injured and two in critical condition.
The arrest was made by the Austin Police Department and the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force. One suspect is still at large.
Police started receiving 911 phone calls at 1:24 a.m about a man that fired shots into a large crowd, and responded to a chaotic scene on the 400 block of East Sixth Street. Detectives are surveying video footage captured by bystanders and cameras on the scene to identify the suspect.
The Austin Police Department has narrowed down their search to two male suspects and believes there was "some type of disturbance" between the two parties.
No deaths have been reported. Fourteen victims are receiving treatment in a hospital in stable condition with one treated in an emergency room; two are in critical condition.
According to Interim Police Chief Joseph Chacon, "almost all" of the victims are innocent bystanders but police have not ruled anyone out at this time.
Shooting on 6th Street Austin Texas 6-12-2021 (Aftermath) youtu.be
The shooting occurred on the weekend of the Republic of Texas Motorcycle Rally. With lots of people downtown, police say it was difficult to get EMS in and out of the scene. Police arrived while the scene was still an "active threat," officers "immediately began lifesaving measures" and drove six victims to the hospital in their squad cars, said Chacon, and four were transported in ambulances.
Chacon said that the incident is believed to be isolated, and they optimistic they will be successful in getting the two suspects into custody. Multiple departments, including APD, the FBI, Texas DPS and the ATF, are involved in the investigation.
Austin police are also requesting state troopers for patrol assistance in the coming days. Chacon stressed staffing issues are increasingly making responding to emergency calls "very hard."
"Overall, we remain a safe city," Chacon said. "Also keep in mind when you come downtown, you need to be safety conscious. Be vigilant of your environment and your surroundings."
Today marks the five-year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting in which 49 were killed and 53 wounded in Orlando, Florida. Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call 911 or 512-472-TIPS.
This story was updated at 2:47 p.m. to include new information and will be updated as more details are revealed.
From Your Site Articles
- Austin bars, restaurants respond to Abbott's reopening order - austonia ›
- 2 men in Sixth Street stabbing downtown Austin, APD reports ... ›
- Sixth Street shows packed street with no masks after governors ... ›
- Austinites recount mass shooting, call for strict gun policies - austonia ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Austin police are investigating a homicide in North Austin where a woman was shot and killed, just hours after a mass shooting in Downtown Austin hospitalized 14 people.
APD is working a suspicious death near the 1900 block of W Rundberg Ln. PIO is en route and will update with media staging location. PIO6
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) June 12, 2021
Police originally responded to Ironhorse Flats Apartments, 1900 block of W. Rundberg Lane, at 3:20 p.m. when they found the woman with multiple gunshot wounds. She was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 4:07 p.m.
No one is in custody as of yet but police are speaking with potential witnesses. Officials said they believe this was an isolated incident with no danger to the public but said possible relation to the downtown shooting has not been specifically ruled out.
Officers could not provide a suspect description and the relationship to the victim is still unknown.
This is a developing story that will be updated as details become available.
From Your Site Articles
- Austin murder total hits 10-year high in 2020 - austonia ›
- Austin pediatrician Dr. Lindley Dodson shot dead by hostage taker ... ›
- After Austin shooting, Texas lawmakers mull permitless carry ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Keep Reading
Show less
