Microsoft Offers 60,000 Workers Voluntary Exits

Microsoft has extended a voluntary buyout offer to 60,000 employees. That group represents approximately 27% of the company's global workforce.

Amy Coleman, the company's Chief People Officer, confirmed the program in a blog post on Monday. She stated the offer is available to eligible staff in the United States, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom. Coleman described the initiative as a first for the firm. "The Voluntary Exit Offer is new for us," she wrote. "We’ll learn from it." Coleman added that the company will continue to help employees build new skills and find internal opportunities.

Microsoft had about 223,000 full-time employees at the end of June. The company is set to release its quarterly financial results this Wednesday. Shares of the Redmond, Washington, based firm hit an all-time high this month and rose about 1% on Monday.

The buyouts follow earlier workforce adjustments. In May, the company planned to offer exits to about 8,750 people, or 7% of its U.S. workforce, according to two people familiar with the plan. In July, Microsoft cut 4,800 jobs, which accounted for 2.1% of its global workforce. That reduction included a large number of workers in the Xbox video game business.

The moves occur as the software giant spends heavily on artificial intelligence. The company has ramped up its AI capabilities for several years. In 2024, it introduced a new class of AI-imbued personal computers that fuse its Copilot assistant into the Windows operating system. In October 2025, Microsoft launched Mico, a floating cartoon face that serves as the visual embodiment of the Copilot virtual assistant.

Heavy investment in data centers to power AI is driving up costs. The spending is likely to top $700 billion this year. This surge has made memory chips, computer processors, and electricity more expensive. Economists expect these factors will continue to push up inflation through the end of the year.