Barnes & Noble has just fired dozens of executives at their head office, with 100 people in total leaving the company. This includes high-profile individuals who oversee the NOOK division, encompassing hardware, software, and e-commerce. The most notable exit was Susan McCulloch, who worked at BN for 15 years and ran NOOK Press and NOOK hardware. Taking her place is Jennifer Perry, who previously headed the audiobook division. The head overseer of the entire NOOK business, including digital content, is Carlo Pochintesta, who has been at the helm for the past 6 years.
Barnes & Noble is the largest bookseller in the United States with over 600 locations. The company plans to open another 50 stores in the United States this year, as part of an aggressive expansion plan. The physical print business is their bread and butter, generating far more revenue than their digital business. They were once a publicly traded company, but they are now private.
The bookseller conducts layoffs every year, so it is not surprising that they have done so again. However, the digital division is usually immune to this sort of thing, as it’s small and isolated. I know that in 2024, one of the heads of e-commerce was let go, and he was a great man. Usually, when higher-profile individuals leave, they tend to promote from within, rather than hiring externally.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.