Google cutting 4,000 jobs at Motorola Mobility

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Cellphone maker Motorola Mobility, which is owned by Google Inc., will reduce its staff by 4,000 jobs, or one-fifth of its total workforce.

Two-thirds of these job cuts will occur outside the U.S., Google said Monday, August 13th in a document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Google also said Motorola Mobility will close or consolidate about one-third of its 90 facilities.

The company said the changes are aimed at returning Motorola Mobility to profitability after losing money in 14 of the past 16 quarters.

But Google warned investors that despite the money-saving cuts, Motorola will experience "significant revenue variability" in the next several quarters.

The company expects to pay a severance-related charge of $275 million.

Representatives of California-based Google, which competes with Yahoo, and Illinois-based Motorola Mobility, which competes with Apple, did not immediately respond to messages from CNNMoney.

Google shares rose 1.5% in premarket trading.

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