Link: https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20261026-microsoft-offers-voluntary-exit-packages-to-60-000-staff

San Francisco (United States) (AFP) – Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 employees, the company said on Monday, roughly a quarter of its workforce, as the tech giant seeks to cut costs while pouring money into artificial intelligence.

Staff on select teams in the United States, Canada, India and Britain at vice president level and below will be eligible, a Microsoft spokesperson said, while some groups of employees, including some working on data centers, sales and marketing, are excluded.

"The Voluntary Exit Offer reflects an important part of how we’re evolving our approach to change: creating greater flexibility and, where possible, more ways for employees to shape their next chapter," Amy Coleman, an executive vice president and chief people officer, told employees in a memo.

It's the second voluntary buyout offer that Microsoft has offered employees this year.

In April, the company reportedly offered around seven percent of its US workforce the option to retire early.

Around 30 percent of those eligible took the voluntary retirement plan, according to CNBC.

Microsoft had 223,000 employees globally at the end of June, down from 228,000 at the end of 2025, according to regulatory filings.

Around 27 percent of Microsoft's workforce is eligible for the new buyout offer.

The company is expected to report quarterly earnings later this week.

M$slop net income in 2025: 101 billion dollars.

"Sir, I don't understand. I was doing good wo-"

"Yes, yes. But you weren't using Copilot. We were, and it told us you had to go."

I did my part, I didn't help any of the murican bigtechs. Not a single dollar. Another year.
Noone cares and it means nothing, but at least i can say "I wasn't contributing to our own demise".

The proportional impact may be small, but it's not zero. It means something. Lest we forget, MS became dominant because a lot of individuals got used to their products, and that influenced expectations and thus decisions up the chain. But that sword cuts both ways. If, at some point, the vast majority of people using computers get used to something else, the same will likely happen in reverse.

"...You still use Microsoft products in your company? Who still uses Microsoft products?"

If only....though, if it Wouldn't be them, it'd be crapple or google. Not sure, if I'd prefer those over sloppy.

And as long as everything and everyone breathes through windows, this won't change anyway. Linux is at what? 5%?