When it rains, it pours for HTC. Early in the morning on July 2, 2018, the company revealed that it was laying off 1,500 employees.
All of those 1,500 people (around 22% of HTC's entire workforce) come from HTC's manufacturing division in Taiwan, and HTC says that it made the decision as part of its ongoing quest to become profitable once again.
An event like this would be bad enough on its own, but if you've been following HTC for the past few months, you'll know that all of 2018 has been a rough one for the once-great Android giant.
Where does HTC go from here?
In mid-February, HTC's mobile president announced he was leaving to pursue a "personal career plan." Just a few days after that, it was reported that HTC had laid off up to 100 of its U.S.-based employees as part of the decision to merge the smartphone and VR divisions together under one umbrella.
As for the products HTC's been kicking out, it's been a mixed bag. The U12+ has the makings of a great Android phone, but the pressure-sensitive "buttons" that the phone uses results in an irritating user experience more times than not. The Vive Pro is undoubtedly one of the most powerful VR headsets you can buy right now, but at $799 for just the headset and none of the other required accessories, it's an incredibly tough purchase. Also, what the heck's going on with the blockchain phone?
HTC's not totally out for the count quite yet, but this most recent move sure doesn't leave a lot of hope for the company's future.
What do you think is going to happen to HTC?
