Microsoft Offers Voluntary Exit to 60,000

Microsoft just offered 60,000 employees a generous buyout, which is about a quarter of its whole workforce. The move is part of a new voluntary exit program announced in a memo by Chief People Officer Amy Coleman. Coleman wrote the company will learn from this experiment while helping staff focus on the work that matters most. She added Microsoft will build new skills for departing workers and, where sensible, match them to other internal opportunities. The offer is not one-size-fits-all; each team and employee will get a tailored package. This is the second voluntary layoff drive this year after a spring retirement program that reached 9,000 veterans. Roughly a third of those 9,000 accepted the early severance and stock options. The latest package aims to trim costs while keeping the talent pool agile for the AI race. "There is no one-size-fits-all approach," Coleman emphasized, signaling a flexible exit strategy.