Smartphone-maker Motorola Mobility has laid off about 200 employees at its Chicago headquarters, according to sources.
Motorola spokeswoman Kathryn Hanley would not confirm the scope of the layoffs, but said the affected employees received notice last week. The layoffs are part of a previously announced global restructuring under Chinese parent company Lenovo.
"We are reducing our Motorola operations in Chicago, however Chicago will continue to serve as an innovation hub for Motorola and remains our headquarters," Hanley said in an email Friday.
The shrinking company, which moved from Libertyville to Chicago in 2014, has less than 1,000 workers at its Merchandise Mart headquarters downtown, according to sources.
Motorola Mobility was purchased by Google for $12.5 billion in 2012. At the time, Motorola Mobility had about 3,000 employees at its sprawling Lake County campus.
Lenovo acquired Motorola Mobility from Google for $2.91 billion in 2014. Motorola Mobility relocated to Chicago that year, occupying 600,000 square feet at the Merchandise Mart with a workforce that numbered about 2,000 employees.
The company has been through several rounds of layoffs since being acquired by Lenovo, as Motorola Mobility, which once dominated the cellphone business, struggles to compete against Apple and Samsung.
Motorola split into two companies in 2011. Motorola Solutions, which supplies public safety communications devices, relocated its corporate headquarters from Schaumburg to Chicago's West Loop neighborhood in 2016.
News of the layoffs was first reported by Crain's Chicago Business.
