Microsoft offers voluntary buyouts to around 60,000 employees: Report

Microsoft announced on Monday that it is extending voluntary severance packages to a substantial portion of its workforce as it endeavors to reconcile the expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure capabilities with fiscal prudence, according to CNBC.

Microsoft is offering voluntary severance packages to eligible employees in the United States, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom. (Representative)The technology corporation introduced a voluntary exit program targeting eligible personnel in the United States, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom whose experience classification falls at level 70 or below.

Approximately 60,000 employees meet the eligibility criteria, CNBC reported, citing an informed source who requested anonymity. This initiative encompasses roughly 27% of Microsoft's overall employee base, which totals 223,000 people.

“The Voluntary Exit Offer reflects an important part of how we’re evolving our approach to change: creating greater flexibility and, where possible, more ways for employees to shape their next chapter,” Amy Coleman, Microsoft’s executive vice president and chief people officer, said in a memo to staff.

“This builds on what we learned earlier this year through the Voluntary Retirement Program.” Microsoft has introduced a voluntary exit program as part of its ongoing effort to optimize workforce size while avoiding additional mandatory layoffs.

Following substantial investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure and workforce reductions implemented earlier this year, the company is now providing current employees with an opportunity to depart voluntarily, evaluating whether this approach can effectively reduce operational expenses.

In April, the company introduced its inaugural voluntary retirement initiative, making approximately 7% of its United States workforce eligible to participate. Subsequently, in July, Microsoft announced workforce reductions affecting 4,800 employees.

While Alphabet and Amazon, Microsoft's primary cloud competitors, each experienced negative free cash flow in the second quarter, Microsoft demonstrated $19.64 billion in positive free cash flow for the same period, representing a 23% decline compared to the previous year.

Shweta Kukreti has over 8 years of experience in covering Indian and world politics. She joined the Hindustan Times in 2024 and is primarily assigned to the US desk. She currently works as Deputy Chief Content Producer and reports on a wide range of topics, including US politics, immigration issues (especially H-1B visa) and major global events.

Shweta strongly emphasizes team operations, which encompasses monitoring news, delegating tasks, editing, developing comprehensive coverage strategies, and crafting engaging, and data-informed narratives. She received the Digi Star Award at the Hindustan Times within a year of joining for her broad coverage of US politics.

In 2025, she earned both a promotion and a redesignation, a significant achievement recognising her contributions and the strong value she brings to the team. She has previously worked with the Indian Express, HTDS, ANI and Republic World.

Seniors in all the media organisations recognised her work. Regarding education, she earned a BA (Hons.) in Political Science and a master's degree from Delhi University, and she pursued a PG Diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institution of Mass Communication (IIMC).

She also holds a diploma in Women's Empowerment and Development from IGNOU University and a French certification course from Alliance Française de Delhi. If not working, you can find her exploring the hills and engaging in adventurous activities in Rishikesh and Himachal Pradesh.

She loves to play badminton, volleyball, and chess, and spend time with her friends and family. She also enjoys spiritual activities.Read More