Microsoft offers buyouts to 60,000 employees

Microsoft confirmed on Monday that it is offering buyouts to around 60,000 employees. The initiative targets staff at the vice president level and below in the United States, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom. Divisions including Xbox, Windows, Copilot, and Finance are participating in the offer. Employees working in data centers, sales, and marketing are excluded. The company stated that the voluntary exit offer aims to provide flexibility and allow employees to shape their next chapter.

Microsoft Chief People Officer Amy Coleman sent a note to employees regarding the buyouts. She wrote that the offer gives staff members the opportunity to leave with financial support and career planning resources. Eligible employees received an email with a link to the details on Monday. The terms of the buyout will be similar to Microsoft's standard severance. This move follows a previous voluntary retirement program earlier this year, where more than 30% of roughly 8,750 eligible workers accepted the offer.

The buyout initiative marks Microsoft's latest efforts to cut costs and rework its workforce for the AI age. The offer aims to trim staff without another round of layoffs. Microsoft's headcount as of the end of June was 223,000. These voluntary exit offers come just months after Microsoft laid off 4,800 employees.