According to Axios, Microsoft has laid off staff across numerous sectors, making it the latest major player in the software industry to reduce employment in the face of an economic slump. According to a representative for the publication: “We, like other businesses, examine our business goals on a regular basis and make structural modifications as needed. In the next year, we will continue to invest in our company and recruit in important growth areas.” While the internet giant did not specify which departments were impacted or how many individuals were laid off, Axios reported that there were less than 1,000 layoffs.
Job layoffs happened across levels and locations, implying that people outside the United States were also laid off.
Microsoft reduced recruiting for its Windows, Office, and Teams departments this year, citing the need to realign personnel priorities, indicating that it was trying to operate with a lighter workforce. It lay off fewer than 1% (approximately 1,800) of its 180,000-person staff in July and subsequently withdrew open job advertising for its Azure cloud and security departments. Other technology businesses have taken similar measures in recent months. Google has reduced recruiting owing to an “uncertain global economic picture,” according to CEO Sundar Pichai. Meanwhile, Meta allegedly began laying off workers and rearranging teams in order to minimize expenses after Mark Zuckerberg informed employees that the firm was in “severe trouble.”
