Microsoft launches voluntary exit offer for up to 60,000 staff in US, UK, Canada and India

Microsoft has opened a voluntary exit programme that could affect roughly 60,000 employees in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and India. The offer is limited to staff at the vice‑president level and below, which Microsoft classifies as level 70 or lower. Amy Coleman, the company’s EVP and chief people officer, explained in an internal memo that the move is meant to give workers more flexibility and a chance to plan their next step. The buyout is time‑bound; interested staff must decide in early December and, if they accept, will leave the firm on December 31. Participation varies by business unit, with divisions such as Xbox, Windows, Copilot and Finance taking part, while many data‑centre, sales and marketing teams are excluded. Microsoft’s headcount stood at about 223,000 at the end of June, and the firm has been pouring billions into AI‑related data centres and compute power. The buyout is presented as an alternative to outright layoffs, helping the company trim costs while keeping morale and legal risk lower. Earlier this year, a separate voluntary retirement scheme opened to senior directors and below saw more than 30 % of the roughly 8,750 eligible employees take the offer. No specific target has been set for how many will accept the new program.

Context

Buyout schemes let large tech firms reduce staff without the disruption of mass layoffs. They typically provide a few weeks of pay and continued benefits, allowing the company to reallocate funds toward priority projects such as AI development.