Design software maker Autodesk is planning to cut 750 jobs and lower its Q4 earnings outlook by 9 percent.

Autodesk shares dropped 15.5 percent to $14.98 following the announcement. Interestingly, the restructuring plan and the earnings warning were made public was made just two days after Yahoo said it would hire Autodesk CEO Carol Bartz as its new CEO.

The maker of AutoCAD and 3DS Max has acquired a number of companies over the past years, including its competitor Alias, the maker of Maya. In 2008 alone, Autodesk announced the acquisition of six small companies, including Avid's Softimage business and ALGOR, both in Q3.

It is estimated that it currently has 7,300 employees.

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