Thousands of loyal Yahoo employees will receive layoff notices starting this week. Research and marketing department will be the first to get hit, reports All Things D. "The ultimate goal, said multiple sources, is to cut many thousands from Yahoo’s staff of close to 14,000 employees, which is actually much larger, due to contract workers not officially in its roster."

The pruning, it seems, will all take place at once. Yahoo's ad technology organization and search business could also be sold off. Oy.

Stay strong, Yahoo employees. Some sage advice to your leader, CEO Scott Thompson, comes from ATD's Kara Swisher, who writes: "Dear Scott, these are very talented employees who love the company and who have been through the wringer and it’s not their fault that leadership has failed them, so it might be a good idea to treat them with as much respect as possible right now."