Strix Rumored to Cut Jobs

The muni mesh shakeout continues apace, with reports now reaching Unstrung from several industry sources about layoffs at startup Strix Systems Inc.

Sources say around 10 people -- maybe more -- have been laid off from the company, which was said to employ 70-odd before the cuts. "Strix had a couple rounds of very selective layoffs followed by a more general, across-the-board cut," says one source. The selective cuts are rumored to include sales and marketing people. (See Chen Gone From Strix.)

Strix won't confirm the layoffs. Kirby Russell, director of product marketing for the firm, would only say things are "business as usual at Strix."

The layoffs include international positions, according to another source. "They needed to pare down and focus on near-term revenue," the source says. "It is a general correction that's somewhat reflective of the state of the overall industry."

Indeed, Unstrung has heard of other such "corrections" recently at startups such as SkyPilot Networks Inc. The bloom is well and truly off the muni mesh rose, and vendors and operators are finding it harder to raise money and interest for these large-scale WiFi projects. (See Layoffs at SkyPilot?)

"The carriers and the wireless ISPs aren't deploying at the rate they were last year," notes our source.

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Unstrung