Rosetta Stone, the Arlington-based foreign language software company, said Tuesday it will eliminate 64 jobs in Virginia as part of a move to open offices and add employees in Austin and San Francisco.
Executives said the shift reflects a broader change in the company’s technological needs as it delivers more of its interactive software to foreign language learners on the Internet rather than discs.
“By opening offices in Austin and San Francisco— hotbeds for technology with deep talent pools—we are attracting some of the country’s best developers and designers to help us strengthen our platforms and bring innovative new products to market,” chief executive Steve Swad said in a news release.
Those offices are expected to hold a combined 100 employees, the company said. The firm also has product and technology hubs in Harrisonburg, Va., Boulder, Colo., and Arlington.
“The Austin and San Francisco operations represent part of our investment in new platforms and technologies, and the positions in those offices are therefore fundamentally different from those we eliminated today,” said spokesman Jonathan Mudd.
“Some current employees with the appropriate skillsets are indeed relocating to the new offices, but most of the roles there are being filled by new individuals with experience and know-how to support our evolving strategy,” he added.
The company intends to launch its first product for children later this year, as well as intermediate and advanced programs for English language learners, the statement said.
Rosetta Stone counts 1,500 employees who work in offices as far flung as London, Tokyo, Dubai and Sao Paulo.
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