Microsoft offers buyouts to 60k employees as AI cuts loom
microsoft offers voluntary buyouts to 60000 employees as it prepares for ai-driven changes. this affects microsoft staff and signals industry shifts.
microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to around 60000 employees across the us, uk, canada, and india. this is part of an effort to reduce operating costs and headcount while maintaining investment in ai infrastructure. microsoft's ceo satya nadella previously stated that ai would change the company's workforce size, saying 'our total people costs will go down, our cost per head will go up, and my gpu per researcher will go up.' the company has been performing layoffs regularly over the past couple of years, with its overall headcount decreasing year over year for the first time in a decade. microsoft now employs around 223000 people, 5000 fewer than in 2025.