Gorilla to slash staff, focus on technology events

Online communications start-up Gorilla Asia has cut eight of its 13 full-time employees and will now focus on its technology-related events instead of content.

'We are going to focus on where we see the core growth opportunities, which is events,' chief executive Paul Mottram said.

The company, which had 18 staff members at one point, started life as GCG Asia in August, 1999 and became Gorilla Asia in May last year.

Mr Mottram, who has been at the helm for the past few months, declined to say who was laid off but said co-founder Daphne Li was not among them.

Gorilla Asia's site and some e-mail newsletters will continue, but the site will have a 'much reduced original editorial content', according to a news release.

The site, which had original stories, was run by editor-in-chief Peter Comparelli - but he would be gone by the month's end, one source said. Content would now lean towards free material, the source added.