Spyglass trims staff

Spyglass (SPYG) has cut less than 10 percent of its staff--about 10 to 15 workers--as part of a corporate reorganization announced on February 25, an executive confirmed today.

The cuts were based on "significant changes" to Spyglass's business plan, according to chief financial officer Gary Vilchick. Spyglass has been making a transition from the desktop to the Internet device marketplace.

As stated in last month's announcement, the company will be realigned into four business units: SurfWatch, for Net content filtering; a Los Gatos, California, unit, formerly AllPen Software; a Naperville, Illinois, operation, to create infrastructure solutions for companies such as Nokia; and one in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to focus on Net solutions for the cable television and handheld computer markets. The changes "significantly enhance" Spyglass's ability to deliver solutions to the Net device market, the company said.

The cuts will have no material impact on Spyglass's earnings, Vilchick said. Spyglass posted a lower-than-expected loss for its first fiscal quarter ended December 31.

A rumor of the cutbacks was sent via email to CNET's NEWS.COM.

In 1994, Spyglass began distributing its commercial Web browser, Spyglass Mosaic.