GoKawiilMicrosoft offers buyouts to 60,000 workers, about a quarter of staff
Microsoft has extended a voluntary exit offer to roughly 60,000 employees at level 70 and below in the US, Canada, India and the UK, according to sources cited by CNBC. The program expands on a smaller buyout round launched in April, which Microsoft called its first Voluntary Retirement Program in 51 years, and includes financial support and job-placement assistance. The eligible group represents about 27% of Microsoft's 228,000 global employees as of June 2025.
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The scale of this offer suggests Microsoft wants to shrink headcount further without resorting solely to forced layoffs, potentially easing reputational and morale costs while still cutting expenses. Heavy capital spending on AI infrastructure, which pushed quarterly expenditures to about $50 billion, appears to be a major driver behind the cost-cutting push, though Microsoft has not explicitly confirmed this link. The move follows years of repeated layoffs since 2023, pointing to an ongoing restructuring effort across multiple divisions including Xbox.
- About 60,000 Microsoft employees in the US, Canada, India and UK are eligible for a voluntary exit package.
- The offer follows a smaller buyout round from April, Microsoft's first Voluntary Retirement Program in company history.
- Rising AI infrastructure spending, nearing $50 billion in a recent quarter, is seen as a likely factor behind cost-cutting.
Source: techspot.com — Daniel Sims, 2026-10-27
Published there as: “Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 employees, a quarter of the company”
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