SageCircle

Gartner layoffs include analysts – Cancels Spring Symposium

  • logo-gartner.gifUpdate 1 – 1/9/09 6:52 am PT – Basic info
  • Update 2 – 1/9/09 8:02 am PT – In response to SageCircle request, Gartner PR declines to expand official statement.
  • Update 3 – 1/9/09 8:37 am PT – Initial analysis
  • Update 4 – 1/9/09 12:17 pm PT – Spring Symposium cancelation
  • Update 5 – 1/9/09 12:52 pm PT – three analysts added to lay off list
  • Update 6 – 1/10/09 8:02 am PT – two analysts added to list
  • Update 7 – 1/14/09 8:25 pm PT – one analyst added to list
  • Update 8 – 1/15/09 5:47 am PT – Web Innovation Summit canceled

Analysis

Unlike the current AMR layoffs and the August Yankee Group restructuring, the Gartner layoffs appear to be minor with little impact on Gartner’s ability to conduct research. While we do no have exact details this move appears to aimed mainly at triming costs, which is common in recessions.

If it is true that no analysts or sales reps have been laid off – which is implied in the official statement – then analyst relations (AR) professionals could inform their executives that this is a non-event when it comes to Gartner’s influence over technology purchases.  Reports are coming in that Gartner analysts have been laid off (see list below). Depending on the eventual number and whether any particular research coverage is impacted, then might or might not signal a diminishment of influence on vendor sales deals.

The Spring Symposium cancelation is consistent with recent Gartner CEO Gene Hall decisions to sell off certain events businesses or shut down underperforming theme conferences in order to invest in new theme conferences. However, a Gartner Symposium is not an aging theme conference for a faded research topic. Enterprise travel restrictions (eliminating IT manager ticket sales) and vendors canceling sponsorships must have made the expense of keeping it going worst than the marketing hit Gartner is going to take. 

Spring Symposium canceled

SageCircle has received credible reports from many vendors that they are hearing from analysts that at least U.S. Spring Symposium in Las Vegas has been canceled. Mandalay Bay Hotel, conference site, is referring all calls to Gartner. Update: Gartner has confirmed to SageCircle the cancelation of Spring Symposium

Web Innovation Summit canceled

 

SageCircle has received credible reports from vendors that they are hearing that the Web Innovation Summit has been canceled.

Original Report

Source: Reuters SAYS AFFECTED POSITIONS SPREAD ACROSS VARIOUS FUNCTIONS AND GEOGRAPHIES, AND consisted primarily of non-quota bearing and non-client facing functions.  SAYS AS A RESULT WILL INCUR PRE-TAX EXPENSES OF APPROX $8.5 MILLION IN Q4 .   2008 SAYS DESPITE THESE EXPENSES, IT EXPECTS TO ACHIEVE ITS MOST RECENT FULL YEAR 2008 projections for revenue.

117 is approximately 3% of total workforce according to headcount information on Gartner’s Investor Relations page.

Analysts Laid Off

  • Comport, Jeff
  • Costello, Rich
  • Harris, Richard
  • Jones, Caroline
  • McGuckin, Paul
  • Reali, Patti

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12 comments

  2. 2 VPs of research in software and data center (key topics in 09) sound pretty quota bearing to me. Very saddened by these events. This is a group of very intelligent individuals and will no doubt end up on their feet.

  3. Pretty fast response to the markets. One has to assume that Gartner is a belle weather for the IT space in general. Not good, not good at all.

    -Stiennon

  5. IDC let 16 go just before xmas and are planning more for this month. Forrester is expected to follow suit with a retenchment shortly. Most the analyst firms were geared for double-digit growth and are now retrenching for profitability in anticipation of a very tough year.

    I’d be surprised if any pivotal analysts are impacted in the near-term, with the analyst firms looking at cost-reductions in their non-core coverage areas, low-performing sales, and some costly management overhead.

    If things continue to deteriorate, then we may start seeing more impactful layoffs, but for now most the firms are picking off staff which are not having a major impact on their core businesses. Most the analyst firm leaderships remember the 2001 bust only too well and are being far more proactive in preventing similarly bad situations that impact their financial health.

  7. Dreadful news! But not a huge surprise – Gartner is an expert at ‘stealth’ redundancies. I was made redundant a couple of years ago along with 4 others. Over the intervening years it has made more people redundant, but never more than one or two at a time. That way they avoid the ‘Gartner makes massive redundancies’ news stories.

  8. Info-Tech research group is a world class IT research and advisory firm we have outranked Gartner, Forrester,IDC and all of the other competitors for the last 4 years. We deliver our research on a practical and tactical level where the competition can’t and won’t touch, price points are our competitve advantage and we are offering a whole cost reduction center as well as ore written policies, job descriptions, tools, templates, vendor comparisons and other things. I am providing trial access demonstrations for IT professionals who are interested.

    Jason Esler
    Account Manager
    Info-Tech Research Group
    1.888.670.8889 ext.2782

  9. Hi Jason,

    At what did you outrank Gartner and Forrester in the last four years? And who says that?

    Carlos.

  11. gartner should take a lie detector test. I was a sales and market facing executive and got laid off. Gartner is clueless

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