GoPro woes continue as the company cuts 15 percent of workforce

More layoffs come as GoPro ends a tough year.

GoPro may have touted strong Black Friday sales, but the company is still experiencing turmoil. GoPro announced it would cut 15 percent of its workforce, totaling about 200 full-time positions, and close its entertainment unit to reduce 2017 operational costs.

This news comes at the end of a frustrating year for the action cam company. Back in January, GoPro cut seven percent of its workforce in an effort to "better align resources to key growth initiatives." Earlier this month, the company recalled its $799 Karma drone because some of them lost power during operation. Only about 2,500 Karma drones were sold, but GoPro decided to recall all of them for safety reasons and because the number of drones affected by the problem was unknown.

One of the employees departing the company before year's end will be President Tony Bates, who previously worked at Skype and Microsoft. "My time at GoPro has been an incredible experience," Bates wrote in the statement. "In the past three years, GoPro has seen enormous progress in camera technology, software and international growth. Today GoPro has a solid leadership team deeply focused on its core business and profitability."

GoPro reported that its Black Friday sales were up 35 percent from a year ago, and CEO and founder Nicholas Woodman states the Hero 5 camera has been "very well-received by critics and consumers alike." This camera was the followup to the Hero 4, which debuted last October. Thanks to unfavorable reviews, GoPro slashed $100 off the Hero 4 just two months after it came out. With company restructuring and product refinement, GoPro seems optimistic that it can make 2017 a much better year than 2016. "Consumer demand for GoPro is solid and we've sharply narrowed our focus to concentrate on our core business," Woodman wrote in the statement. "We are headed into 2017 with a powerful global brand, our best ever products, and a clear roadmap for restored growth and profitability in 2017."