Microsoft Extends Voluntary Buyouts to About 60,000 Employees
Microsoft is extending voluntary buyout offers to as many as 60,000 employees across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and India—potentially affecting roughly a quarter of its global workforce.
The program gives eligible employees an opportunity to leave with financial support and career-planning resources. Microsoft chief people officer Amy Coleman described the initiative as a way for staff to leave voluntarily rather than through another companywide round of layoffs.
The offers reportedly apply to workers in areas including AI experiences, Copilot, CoreAI, Windows and Devices, and Xbox, as well as finance and human resources. That reach suggests the restructuring is not confined to a single product group or region.
The buyouts are part of Microsoft’s broader effort to lower operating costs while preserving investment in AI infrastructure. They follow an earlier retirement offer covering about 9,000 employees and come months after the company announced approximately 4,800 layoffs.
For Microsoft, the program combines workforce reduction with a reorganization around its AI priorities. For employees, however, the scale and cross-functional scope of the offers indicate that a substantial restructuring is underway rather than a limited voluntary departure scheme.