Microsoft offers buyouts to nearly 30% of workforce in ongoing AI shift
Source: Fortune ·
Software giant has been cutting headcount to trim costs while investing billions to build out AI data centers.
From the source
Microsoft is offering buyouts to roughly 60,000 employees, or about 27% of its workforce, as the software giant continues to spend heavily on artificial intelligence. In a note to employees on Monday, Chief People Officer Amy Coleman introduced the new program, noting that eligible employees include senior leaders, up to vice presidents. “This offer gives eligible employees who may be considering a future outside the company a new choice to make that transition now with support,” Coleman wrote to employees in a memo that Microsoft published on its blog. Microsoft employed about 223,000 people at the end of June, down 5,000 workers from the same period in 2025. Microsoft has been cutting headcount to trim costs while investing billions to build out AI data centers. In April, the company offered a similar voluntary buyout program to long-tenured employees, its first time making such an arrangement. At the time, Coleman noted that Microsoft was aiming to move faster and simplify its…