More on last week’s Forbes.com layoffs. Turns out the layoffs came as part of a move to merge the print on online staffs of the publication beginning January 2009. Per the memo that CEO Steve Forbes sent to staff:

Over the next few weeks, the sales and marketing groups of Forbes magazine and Forbes.com will be combined into three specific units under the Forbes Media umbrella…The leaders of the newly established groups will report to The Office of the Chairman, which will consist of Steve Forbes, Chairman and CEO of Forbes Media; Timothy Forbes, President and COO of Forbes Media; and Jim Spanfeller, President and CEO of Forbes.com.

WWD says that in total 43 people were laid off but they mostly came from the business side meaning that “the edit side is soon to follow.”