Microsoft offers voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 employees
publishers 46articles 80first reported 2 Oct, 16:15 UTCdeveloping since 2 Oct · 31 editions
Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 employees, roughly 27% of its global workforce, as it increases spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure and seeks to control labor costs.
The program is open for a limited period to eligible employees in the United States, Canada, India and the United Kingdom. It covers workers up to the vice president level, although some sales, marketing, engineering and data-center teams are excluded, according to reports from CNBC, CBS News and Fortune.
“This offer gives eligible employees who may be considering a future outside the company a new choice to make that transition now with support,” Chief People Officer Amy Coleman wrote in a memo. Microsoft has not set a target for how many workers will accept, CNBC reported.
Fortune reported that employees who participate will receive separation benefits based on tenure and local labor laws. In the United States, packages include at least eight weeks of pay, continued stock vesting, health care and career services. Eligible employees must decide in early December, and those accepting are expected to leave Dec. 31.
Microsoft employed 223,000 people at the end of June, down from 228,000 a year earlier. The offer follows a voluntary retirement program announced in April and 4,800 layoffs announced in July. The company has simultaneously committed substantial capital to data centers and other infrastructure needed to meet demand for AI computing.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 4 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 588 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
- Publishers
- 46
- Source articles
- 80
- Given to the writer
- 8, 4 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 8
- This version written
- 588 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
WHAT THE EDITOR DID
The second model checked the writer's draft against the same sources and published it as written.
Written by a language model from the sources above, then checked by a second model that may only cut, attribute or correct. How it works →