Microsoft Offers Voluntary Buyouts to Up to 60,000 Employees Across US, UK, India

Microsoft Corp. has put up to 60,000 jobs at risk by offering voluntary buyout packages to employees in the United States, Canada, India and the UK, as the tech giant moves to cut headcount and shift more work to AI. The packages will be available to staff in finance, human resources, AI, Microsoft Copilot and the Xbox division, while workers in data centers, sales, marketing, cybersecurity and quantum computing are excluded. Microsoft employs 223,000 people globally, including 6,000 in Britain. Chief People Officer Amy Coleman described the offer as a time-limited, voluntary program providing financial support and career planning resources. The move follows a July buyout offer to retirement-age staff, in which more than 30% of 8,750 eligible workers accepted; Microsoft expects a lower acceptance rate this time. Microsoft is expected to report results on Wednesday. The reduction follows heavy capital spending on AI and data center infrastructure across Silicon Valley, with Meta's headcount down more than 20,000 from its late-2022 peak.