Microsoft offers voluntary buyouts to up to 60,000 employees
Microsoft is offering voluntary exit packages to as many as 60,000 employees in the US, UK, Canada and India, after earlier layoffs.
The story in focus
Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to up to 60,000 employees in the US, UK, Canada and India, chief people officer Amy Coleman said in a memo. The company said the offer gives eligible staff financial support and career planning resources as it trims headcount without another layoff round.
- Microsoft chief people officer Amy Coleman announced the voluntary exit offer in an employee memo.
- Up to 60,000 employees across the US, UK, Canada and India are eligible, out of roughly 223,000 total staff.
- The offer follows a layoff of 4,800 employees that primarily hit Xbox and commercial sales teams.
- Employees who accept will receive benefits similar to a standard severance package, according to reports.
Scope of the offer
Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to up to 60,000 employees across the US, UK, Canada and India, according to a memo from chief people officer Amy Coleman. The company has roughly 223,000 employees.
The Verge reports that staff in AI experiences, Copilot, CoreAI, Windows + Devices, Xbox, finance and human resources are eligible. Cloud + AI, MicrosoftAI, and corporate, external and legal affairs teams are partially participating, while marketing, commercial business, discovery and quantum, and security teams are excluded.
TechCrunch, citing Business Insider and Bloomberg, reports that employees at vice president level and below on select teams can participate, with data center, sales and marketing staff excluded.
Context and benefits
The offer comes months after Microsoft laid off 4,800 employees, mainly in Xbox and commercial sales. Fortune reported that Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is planning further layoffs.
TechCrunch reports that employees who accept will receive benefits similar to a standard severance package. Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Coleman described the voluntary exit offer as new for the company and said Microsoft would learn from it, adding that there is no one-size-fits-all approach for every team. The program differs from an earlier voluntary retirement offer available to about 9,000 US employees at a certain level whose age and years of service totaled 70 or more.
How many Microsoft employees are eligible for the voluntary buyout?
Up to 60,000 employees across the US, UK, Canada and India are eligible, out of roughly 223,000 total staff, according to The Verge.
Sources & further reading
- Microsoft offers buyouts to 60,000 employees ↗The Verge
- Microsoft offers buyouts to around 60,000 employees, reports say | TechCrunch ↗TechCrunch
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