4. Sony (2012): 10,000 jobs

Sony has definitely seen better days. The consumer electronics giant had always been a profitable concern, posting a profit of $3.84 billion as recently as 2008, but is now being hit hard by, among other things, a television manufacturing division that has seen losses for eight years.

After announcing a projected loss of $6.4 billion for the fiscal year, Kazuo Hirai, the new CEO revealed the "One Sony" reorganization plan that would see 10,000 employees lose their jobs over two years. After four straight years of losses, Sony hopes to see an operating profit next year.