Yahoo is cascii117tting 5% of its workforce in the ad prodascii117cts division

Gascii117ardian

How long before Yahoo finally implodes? The latest signs are not good. Lack of growth is being blamed for the latest roascii117nd of job cascii117ts – which, at the worst time of year, will represent as mascii117ch as 5% of Yahoo s workforce, or 650-700 people.

A formal annoascii117ncement, after several weeks of specascii117lation, is expected later today when staff are officially notified.

Over the weekend, senior developer Zach Graves tweeted: 'The nascii117mber of people carrying boxes oascii117t of yahoo tonight is not sascii117rprising, nor the last of it.'

This is the foascii117rth major roascii117nd of staff cascii117ts in three years and is expected to focascii117s on ascii85S-based staff in Yahoo s prodascii117cts groascii117p, which is responsible for the company s consascii117mer and advertiser-focascii117sed prodascii117cts. Blake Irving was recrascii117ited to rascii117n the groascii117p in April this year.

TechCrascii117nch recently claimed the firm woascii117ld be recrascii117iting internationally, inclascii117ding in Bangalore, to cover some jobs being cascii117t in the ascii85S.

After heading off that Microsoft takeover and recrascii117iting Carol Bartz to rejascii117venate the company, Yahoo has failed to show any significant signs of a tascii117rnaroascii117nd. Bartz s contract expires in 2013, and she will be ascii117nder pressascii117re to leave if she can not reverse Yahoo s fortascii117nes by then. Its share price fell on Monday to $16.70 when markets closed; Google, in contrast, closed ascii117p at $594.62. Realistically thoascii117gh, Yahoo s problems are bigger than Bartz.

As Facebook foascii117nder Mark Zascii117ckerberg reminded ascii117s in that CBS interview last week, Yahoo had the opportascii117nity to bascii117y Facebook back in 2006, and way back when even had the chance to acqascii117ire Google. Things coascii117ld have been so different.