Need to double my staff to "2" Employees to qualify as best in anything.

This is bad news. The Reader is great, and is one of the really basic tools that makes my day much easier. Please Google, rethink!!!

This shows the commitment of Google for innovation and changing Google for as per current environment. Indian companies should learn from Google. BR// Vipul Tiwari

What this shows is that I've become way too dependent on Google. I've got my mail there and documents and photos and I checked my regular websites through Reader.
If it can close Reader, it can close anything else too and it sucks to have to transfer all that content.
Another reason to stick with Dropbox for my back ups...

Hi Will, would love to be included as an alternative. If you used Reader (or iGoogle) to skim headlines, please give Skim.Me (http://skim.me) a shot. We're a startup releasing to the public soon to help you keep up at a glance.

Dave Winer - the man behind RSS - is recommending as alternative
- Spundge https://twitter.com/davewiner/status/312189680219197440
Other RSS feed reader recommendations are
- Good Noows http://goodnoows.com/
- Reader2000 http://www.reader2000.com/
- HiveMined http://hivemined.org/
- Prismatic http://getprismatic.com/
- Taptu https://www.taptu.com/
- Feedreader http://www.feedreader.com/
- Netvibes http://netvibes.com/
- Bloglines http://bloglines.com/
- NetNewsWire http://netnewswireapp.com/
- ManagingNews http://managingnews.com/

RSS Bandit is another suggestion.

FeedDemon is no longer supporting Google Feed synchronization, but as a stand-alone RSS program, I've found it quite capable. The worst aspect of it is that it does not allow an alternative browser to be assigned to display the pages, and the developer is ceasing development of the program entirely.
The feature I like best is that it presents the information in an e-mail-like format. Folders and feeds on the left column, single line entries on top right and full page below. Many email programs display messages in a nearly identical manner. Not many feed readers have the layout and those that do, don't have some minor refinements.
FeedDemon gets a thumbs-up from me.

I have no attachment to Google reader as an RSS reader (generally I dislike all of Google's products), but there's a secondary role it provides that's not related to its interface: acting as a broker between multiple RSS clients, so if I read something in NetNewsWire, it gets marked as read in MobileRSS etc. That's a function I will miss, and (as far as I know) there isn't a sensible replacement for that.

here is a huge list with 100 Google Reader alternatives for all operating systems + mobile readers + web based readers + email readers:
http://www.rss-readers.org/list-of-rs-feed-reader/
this link should be in the article to give the users even more help.