Don't worry about us. We're fine. Really.

Clearspring Technologies, the McLean widget syndication firm that has been a darling of the local venture capital community and a prominent member of the Web 2.0 crowd, laid off 20 percent of its workforce last week, sparking discussion around town about the future of advertising-dependent businesses and online business models.

In May, Clearspring raised $18 million in its third round of funding, led by New Enterprise Associates, but like many start-ups, it was forced to cut spending.

Founder and chief executive Hooman Radfar said the company isn't in financial trouble. The decision to lay off dozens of employees, including chief operating officer Jay Rappaport, was made to conserve money to weather the downturn, he said.

Washington Post, 1-12-09
(Emphasis added.)

Including the chief operating officer?!