60,000 Microsoft Workers Offered Buyouts As AI Spending Boom Reshapes Workforce

Job cuts and downsizing announcements across corporate America have gained momentum, a trend we featured in a report last week titled “Tech Layoffs Surge As Corporate America’s AI Blitz Raises Fears The Worst Is Yet To Come.”

Days later, Bloomberg reports that Microsoft will offer voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 employees while spending heavily on artificial intelligence and data center expansion.

NEARLY 1 OUT OF 3 (60,000 EMPLOYEES) AT MICROSOFT BEING OFFERED VOLUNTARY TERMINATION Emails should be going out any minute to those receiving the offer. Absolutely insane.

— LayoffHedge (@LayoffAI) October 26, 2026

“This offer gives eligible employees who may be considering a future outside the company a new choice to make that transition now with support,” Chief People Officer Amy Coleman wrote in a memo earlier today.

The memo cited by the outlet says workers on selected units in the US, Canada, India, and the UK at the vice president level and below will be eligible for the voluntary buyouts.

Some employees in data centers, sales, and marketing are excluded. Benefits will match a standard severance package, according to the report.

Bloomberg data shows Microsoft employed 223,000 people at the end of June and has cut thousands of jobs in recent years. The Big Tech firm’s total workforce began to plateau in 2022.

What we reported on Friday:

The AI layoffs are here: *AMERICAN EXPRESS TO CUT 5% OF JOBS, ABOUT 3,500 EMPLOYEES *BARCLAYS TO CUT 5,000 JOBS AS AI STARTS CREATING EFFICIENCY *EBAY CONFIRMS JOB CUTS OF ABOUT 9% *NETFLIX TO LAY OFF 6% OF GLOBAL STAFF, OR ABOUT 1,000 JOBS: WSJ

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) October 23, 2026

A deeper dive into layoffs across corporate America:

Bloomberg story counts featuring terms such as “job cuts,” “layoffs,” and “firings” jumped Thursday to their highest level since early May.

We’re certain the worst is yet to come.