Layoffs at the Washington Post in February impacted more than just the paper’s newsroom—they hit IT pros as well. And the ramifications of those job cuts could be far-reaching, according to some former staffers. One of the products hit by staff reductions is Arc XP, the company’s digital experience platform (DXP)—providing assistance with content management system, monetization, and subscriptions—that counts the Boston Globe, the Irish Times, and other international and domestic outlets as customers. Mike Stemle, a former Arc XP principal architect and a unit co-chair of the Washington Post’s Tech Guild, told IT Brew that he is concerned that the cuts at Arc XP could result in a deterioration of service and, potentially, security breaches (prior WaPo layoffs, in 2024, also affected the DXP’s staff). “I am genuinely concerned about the safety and reliability of the services of Arc XP and the security and data privacy of Arc XP customers, as well as Washington Post readers and subscribers,” Stemle said. “I think that there is a tremendous amount of unnecessary business risk that the company brought upon itself.” When IT workers are let go, their knowledge goes with them.—EH |