More proof you brick-n-mortar store owners can’t directly blame the internet/high-tech competition for your demise. Incomplete list of U.S. internet/high-tech/communications job destruction announcements in July 2017:

United Kingdom news media revealed that Google “…paid millions of dollars to academics at British and American universities for research that it hoped would sway public opinion and influence policy in favour of the tech giant.”

After five years Kaplan owned software coding school Dev Bootcamp shutting down all six U.S. campuses: “Despite tremendous efforts from a lot of talented people, we’ve determined that we simply cannot reach a sustainable business model without compromising our mission of delivering a high-quality coding education that remains accessible to a diverse population of students.”

California: AutoTrader.com shutting down its Manhattan Beach office, 19 jobs lost in September.  Freenet Digital Entertainment shutting down its Sherman Oaks operations in October.  In Glendale, YP-Yellowpages.com eliminating 35 jobs by the end of August. Electronics retailer Best Buy issued a shutdown WARN for a San Francisco store, 106 jobs gone by the end of September!  Japan based video game maker GREE International Entertainment suddenly shutdown its San Francisco operations, 63 jobs suddenly gone. Venice based mobile application Whisper suddenly laid off 14 people as part of a plan to use automation.  In Mountain View, Symantec suddenly laid off 20 people.  Symantec also WARNed that it will layoff another 14 people in September.  Cisco Systems laid off nine people in San Jose, without warning.  

Cupertino based data storage company Seagate eliminating 6-hundred jobs, apparently in addition to the planned 6-thousand-5-hundred job cuts announced last year!  The 6-hundred additional job cuts are an attempt to cut operating costs to counter Seagate’s declining revenues.   Irvine based software maker Kofax was sold and the new owner dumped an undisclosed number of employees into the street. San Francisco based Juicero finally realized nobody wants to pay 4-hundred-bucks for a juicer (even if it is ‘hi-tech’) so Juicero is cutting the price and 25% of its staff.  Germany based SoundCloud suddenly laid off 173 people and shutdown its office in San Francisco in an attempt to avoid bankruptcy!  After 18 years wearable tech pioneer Jawbone is dead and being liquidated (due to the fact its products didn’t ever work right), but some hopeful executives hope to resurrect it as Jawbone Health Hub.  Sports marketing company Competitor Group issued a shutdown WARN, 145 jobs gone by mid-November! California-Texas-Netherlands based space plane developer XCORP Aerospace suddenly laid off its remaining employees: “Due to adverse financial conditions XCOR had to terminate all employees as of 30 June 2017.”

Florida:  Tallahassee based automated gate opener GTO Access Systems warning of layoffs across the board as it shifts to ‘smart home’ engineering, and integration with California based parent company Nortek’s wireless security ops.  In Jacksonville, YP-Yellowpages.com eliminating 105 jobs by the end of September!

Iowa: Convergys issued a WARN for its call center in Sergeant Bluff, 152 people jobless by the end of September!

Kansas: Lexana based Perceptive Software has been sold and the new owner dumped an undisclosed number of employees into the street.

Maryland: Maker of electrical insulators Locke issued a WARN, 108 jobs gone by September!  Baltimore Sun Media Group shutting down 40 years old City Paper due to crashing advertising revenues.

Michigan: Local news media reported that storage battery maker EaglePicher Technologies laid off 250 people since May 2016 and administrators say the layoffs will continue due to “…strategically focusing our efforts in the areas where our customers need us to be focused in.”

Minnesota: Richfield based computer seller Best Buy eliminating 399 Geek Squad jobs!  At the same time administrators claim the tech retailer has 1-thousand job vacancies!

New York: Brooklyn-NYC based Vice Media laid off 60 people as part of its plan to focus more on international markets.  Media giant Gannett laying off 31 people in Binghamton, for “economic” reasons.  Latina Media Ventures laid off six people as news spread that the company is struggling to issue paychecks, supposedly some employees haven’t been paid for a month, an unnamed source reportedly said “Everyone is shell-shocked and outraged!”  LMEG Wireless issued a shutdown WARN for its Brooklyn-NYC ops, 151 jobs gone by mid-October!  Cloud-based Human Capital Management and Business Process Outsourcing company ADP issued a shutdown WARN for its Williamsville ops, 25 jobs gone by the beginning of October.   Germany based SoundCloud issued a layoff WARN, 53 jobs in NYC gone in October.

Ohio: Columbus based taxpayer funded online Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow eliminating 250 jobs due to crashing enrollments and being caught overcharging customers by a total of $60-million USD!  Cox Media Group shutting down printing ops in Franklin, 135 jobs lost!

Oregon: Washington based Microsoft shutting down its operations in Wilsonville, at least 124 jobs lost between September 2017 and January 2018!  Travel Tags-Western Graphics and Data issued a shutdown WARN for its Portland ops, 82 jobs gone starting in October.  Smartphone insurance company Asurion issued a shutdown WARN for its call center in Klamath Falls, 53 people jobless by mid-September.

Texas: Colorado based TeleTech eliminating 350 jobs due to halting its Heath Services and due to consolidation operations!  Direct Energy Solar-Astrum Solar eliminating 108 jobs in September,  as part of its plan to halt residential solar ops and shift to community solar power ops!  Dallas based online mortgage company Ditech eliminating nearly 5-hundred jobs after getting caught ripping off customers!

Washington: Smartphone maker LeEco issued a shutdown WARN for its Bellevue location, 25 jobs gone by mid-September.   Insurance software maker Vertifore shutting down ops in Bothell, 121 jobs lost as the company moves to Colorado!  Seattle based super computer maker Cray eliminating 190 jobs across the U.S.!  Cray is attempting to save money after a 61% crash in profits in 2016.  Redmond based Microsoft eliminating 3-thousand sales jobs as it shifts focus to cloud service products!

U.S. Tech/Communications breakdown, June 2017: “…A LOT OF EXPERIMENTATION.”