Google announces layoffs at the back of closing Radio ads business

Google have announced that they are exiting Radio Ads business launched in 2006 . Advertisers will be able to continue using it till May 31. Google will also sell Google Audio Automation business and software that automates broadcast Radio programming.

Google has closed quite a few projects in last few including Google notebook, Jaiku etc.

Google also hopes that it will lay off up to 40 people from Radio ads business.

From their blog post.

"We regret the impact these plans will have on the Googlers working on these projects. We hope to find other roles for the majority of the people concerned and will work to make that happen over the next couple of months. However, given that we are exiting the broadcast radio ad business and selling the Radio Automation business, we expect that up to 40 people may not be able to find other roles at Google."

In the same post Google mentions "At Google we've never shied away from high-risk, high-reward projects.......We have always accepted that if you take risks not all of them will pay off."

So Google takes risk and when it does not pay off it it letting the staff go? I think these are the first layoffs from Google other than laying off contractors and recruiters few weeks back.

But is it really not evil to lay off staff when a risk project does not pay off.?

How difficult must it be for Google to absorb these staff in other projects?