Microsoft wants thousands of employees to leave, and it’s willing to pay them to do it

Microsoft is giving an enormous swath of its workforce an easy out – if they want it. Microsoft Chief People Officer Amy Coleman on Monday announced that it would extend a voluntary exit offer to eligible employees, allowing them to transition out of the company with financial support. Coleman framed the buyout offer as a way for Microsoft workers “considering a future outside the company” to make that move now, helpfully reducing the tech giant’s costly headcount in the process. At Microsoft, 60,000 workers are expected to receive the offer – over 25% of the company’s total workforce. “The Voluntary Exit Offer is new for us,” Coleman wrote in the memo to staff, also shared on the company’s blog. “We’ll learn from it.” Employees based in Canada, India, the United Kingdom and the U.S. on participating teams received details about the buyout on Monday morning via email. “Participation varies based on each business’s priorities, customer commitments and workforce needs,” Coleman wrote. Employees who work in Microsoft units including AI experiences, Copilot, human resources, finance, Windows and Devices, and Xbox will be eligible for the buyout, according to a report from Reuters, whi…

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