Our report that Yahoo was going to lay off 1000 staffers in the next month or so was met with a collective yawn from readers — a sign, perhaps, of the company's lack of relevance. And yet, here I am writing about layoff rumors again today! This time, it's because sources now say as much as a quarter of Yahoo might be packing their desks.

According to a New York Post report from this morning, earlier reports of a 10 percent layoff at the company were too low, and "the number is actually closer to 20 percent or 25 percent."

Numbers like that make for a nervous workforce, so perhaps they could be calmed by a little comedy? How about jokes from their well-known raconteur of a CEO about their firings? Hilarious, right?

Well, that's reportedly what happened this week. According to the Post, in what was possibly (?) a misguided effort at levity, CEO Marissa Mayer began a recent companywide meeting by saying "there are going to be no layoffs 'this week.'"

Though the remarks drew "nervous chuckles from workers who fear for their jobs," the mood wasn't a rollicking one.

"This is the reason employee morale is so low" an anonymous Yahoo source said, suggesting to the Post that "most workers took the scary remark as twisted confirmation that Yahoo’s embattled chief executive is sharpening the ax."

Or perhaps it was an effort to comfort worried workers? Naaaah, says an unnamed "insider" who spoke with the Post. Instead, the anonymous person said, it's "the latest example of a chronically tone-deaf CEO in a crisis."

For their part, Yahoo refused to comment, telling SFist by email that “We don’t comment on rumors or speculation."

Previously: Yahoo To Reportedly Ax 'At Least' 10% Of Its Workforce Over Next Few Months