Microsoft is asking a large part of its workforce whether they want to leave. The company confirmed to TechCrunch on Monday that about 60,000 employees are eligible for a voluntary buyout. It had 223,000 staff at the end of June, so the offer reaches roughly one in four.
Who can take it
- Employees at vice president level and below on selected teams in the US, Canada, India and the UK.
- Bloomberg reports that Xbox, Windows, Copilot and Finance are among the teams taking part.
- Some staff, including those working on data centres and in sales and marketing, are excluded.
- The terms are similar to Microsoft's standard severance, according to TechCrunch. Eligible staff were sent their offer details by email on Monday.
"The Voluntary Exit Offer is new for us," chief people officer Amy Coleman wrote in a memo to staff. "We'll learn from it." She said it gives eligible employees "a new choice to make that transition now with support".
Why now
Microsoft plans about $190 billion in capital expenditure in 2026, mostly for AI, according to Yahoo Finance, and reports quarterly results on Wednesday. This is its second buyout this year: in April it offered early retirement to roughly 8,750 eligible workers, and more than 30% accepted, TechCrunch reports. Microsoft has not said how many people it expects to take this offer or how much it hopes to save.
