o Amazon Cutting 14,000 Corporate Jobs as it Leans More Into AI
o Reston-Based SAIC Parts Ways with CEO Toni Townes-Whitley
o Arlington-Based Istari Digital Acquires Dgraph from Hypermode
o Hollywood, Md.-Based Parris Javaid Acquires DesignLinx Hardware
o Bethesda-Based NWBio Completes Deal for Advent BioServices
o Briefly Noted: Babel Street, DXC Technology, VeriSign
Amazon Cutting 14,000 Corporate Jobs as it Leans More Into AI
Arlington, Va. – With its second headquarters in Arlington, online retail giant Amazon on Tuesday announced 14,000 job cuts, about 4 percent of its corporate headcount, as the company continues to lean more heavily into artificial intelligence. It is unclear how many jobs will be cut from its Arlington offices. Affected employees were expected to be notified on Tuesday, with most getting 90 days to find new roles with the company, or take advantage of a severance package. The moves come more than a year after CEO Andy Jassy spelled out his intention to run the company like “the world’s largest startup,” stressing a desire to remove some of the bureaucracy caused by a glut of middle managers.
“The reductions we’re sharing today are a continuation of this work to get even stronger by further reducing bureaucracy, removing layers and shifting resources to ensure we’re investing in our biggest bets and what matters most to our customers’ current and future needs,” wrote Beth Galetti, Amazon’s senior vice president of people experience and technology, in a note to employees. “This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet, and it’s enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before… We’re convinced that we need to be organized more leanly, with fewer layers and more ownership.”
Reston-Based SAIC Parts Ways with CEO Toni Townes-Whitley
Reston, Va. – Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), the large IT services provider to defense and intelligence clients, said it has replaced CEO Toni Townes-Whitley following just two years at the helm. The company said its board has appointed director Jim Reagan as interim CEO, while it searches for a permanent successor. Reagan most recently served as the executive vice president and CFO of Leidos, and has served as an SAIC board member since early 2023. Townes-Whitley joined SAIC in October 2023 following more than seven years in executive roles at Microsoft.
“We wish [Townes-Whitley] the best in her next chapter,” said Donna Morea, chair of the company’s board. “Recognizing SAIC’s strong position to capitalize on opportunities for growth and shareholder value creation, the board remains focused on delivering near-term operational results.”
Arlington-Based Istari Digital Acquires Dgraph Database from Hypermode
Arlington, Va. – Istari Digital, an Arlington-based developer of infrastructure enabling AI-directed workflows across teams, tools and classification levels, said it has acquired Dgraph, a graph database most commonly used for building knowledge graphs, from San Francisco-based owner Hypermode. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Istari said it plans to continue supporting Dgraph’s open-source community while integrating its graph capabilities into the company’s data fabric. “Customers gain enhanced AI workflows, stronger data relationships and faster insights—all under their control,” Istari said in a release.
Hollywood, Md.-Based Parris Javaid Acquires DesignLinx Hardware
Hollywood, Md. – Parris Javaid, a Hollywood, Md.-based operating and investment company focused on defense and aerospace technology, said it has acquired New Hampshire-based DesignLinx Hardware Solutions, a developer of chip technology and embedded software. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The move will bolster the communications and telemetry technology made by Parris Javaid’s primary subsidiary, Parraid. Over time, the firm expects DesignLinx’s operations and engineering teams to migrate into Parraid, consolidating the combined companies’ FPGA capabilities under one brand.
Bethesda-Based NWBio Completes Deal for Advent BioServices
Bethesda, Md. – Northwest Biotherapeutics (NWBio), a Bethesda-based biotechnology company developing personalized immune therapies for solid tumor cancers, said it has completed its acquisition of UK-based Advent BioServices from owner Toucan Holdings. The companies had already been working together as part of a contract services agreement. Now, NWBio will essentially bring its manufacturing and product development operations in-house, with Advent becoming a wholly owned subsidiary. Linda Powers, the CEO of NWBio, said the move puts her company in “position for potential significant scale-up.” The deal includes a payment of about $1.9 million, as well as the net amount of accounts payable due from NWBio to Advent for services already performed by Advent.
Briefly Noted
(Washington, DC) DC-based Babel Street, a developer of AI risk intelligence software, has named Bob Genter as its new chairman. Genter most recently served as president of the defense and civilian sector at SAIC, and earlier spent several years as a vice president at CGI.
(Ashburn, Va.) Ashburn-based technology services provider DXC Technology said it has opened a new office in downtown Detroit. The company said the location will serve as a center for innovation where employees, partners and customers can collaborate.
(Reston, Va.) Reston-based VeriSign, a provider of internet infrastructure and domain name registry services, said the third quarter closed with 378.5 million domain name registrations across all top-level domains, up 1.8 percent from the prior quarter. Domain name registrations also increased by 16.2 million, or 4.5 percent, year over year.