Like several other tech giants, Microsoft has decided to lay off. Several hundred people are affected by this decision which is ultimately not so surprising…
Of course, this is only a drop in the ocean of the tens of thousands of employees that the firm currently has.
Microsoft is following the industry trend
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the main tech players hired with a vengeance to meet the demand of consumers cloistered at home during the various confinements. But in the recovery, many companies found themselves with too many employees. All coupled with a slowdown in activity, since “life” has returned to normal.
This is why, after Snapchat, Meta or even Google, it is Microsoft’s turn to make cuts within its teams. And if the American firm did not give precise figures, the sites Business Insider and Axios estimate that just under 1,000 employees find themselves on the floor this week.
Different departments affected
It is important to note that this wave of layoffs does not even affect 1% of Microsoft’s overall workforce (which peaked at more than 221,000 employees in 2022). Departments related to the legal field, experiences + products, and other strategic positions are affected. Xbox is also on the list, to a lesser extent.
Several veterans of the company were also thanked. For example, KC Lemson (Group Product Manager) had been with Microsoft for over 20 years before being fired this week. The chief architect of Azure who took care of the gaming part is also on this sad list. In short, an announcement that goes badly when Microsoft is about to buy Activision Blizzard for almost 70 billion dollars.
Source : Neowin
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