AOL's memo on sales team layoffs: this may make you 'uncomfortable'

AOL announced Friday it was making at least 150 layoffs across its advertising sales team as the business shifts its strategy to programmatic advertising, which relies less on human sellers. Elsewhere it is also consolidating some websites, such as folding gaming site Joystiq and Apple news site TUAW into Engadget.

Now AOL is seeking to reassure advertising clients that despite the cuts and move to automation, it still has their best interests at heart. A source close to the company told Business Insider last week: "They're keeping most account managers, while firing many sellers, leaving the account managers vulnerable to abuse in the operations group, with no sales management behind them any more. Clients will be enraged that this team is left to pick up the pieces."

Meanwhile another source at one of the world's biggest media agencies had told Business Insider: "

"The good people have been eking out and going elsewhere since before Christmas, so writing on the wall maybe." Business Insider has received a copy of a memo AOL's global CEO of platforms Bob Lord sent to advertising clients on Monday.

In it he explains how AOL has developed a "multidisciplinary team structure" that will help clients "navigate industry disruption more proactively and holistically."

Here's the memo, entitled "AOL Organizational Updates, in full:

Lara O'Reilly/Business Insider