'Evil' is really quite subjective

Google has begun laying off employees at DoubleClick. The search giant would not specify how many it plans to drop, but the New York Times pegs the figure at around 300.

"We have been working to match and align DoubleClick employees in the US with our organizational plan for the business" since the finalization of the DoubleClick acquisition, said a statement from Google.

"As with many mergers, this review has resulted in a reduction in headcount at the acquired company."

Other US-based DoubleClick employees have been offered "transitional roles," reported Marketwatch. Such positions will be terminated when the two companies are fully integrated.

Eric Schmidt cautioned that reductions would take place after the approval of the DoubleClick merger. "We know that DoubleClick is built on the strength of its people. For this reason we’ll strive to minimize the impact of this process on all of our clients and employees," he wrote in a March 11 blog post.

Schmidt said the layoffs were expected to occur in the US "and possibly other regions as well."

In addition to mass cuts, Google plans to sell Performics Search Marketing, a firm that specializes in "natural" search engine optimization and data feed marketing. The sale alleviates concerns about the conflict of interest associated with keeping Performics.

One aspect of "natural" SEO is helping clients divine ways to improve organic search engine rankings.