Microsoft offers voluntary buyouts to a quarter of its workforce

Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to approximately 60,000 employees—roughly a quarter of its workforce—with eligibility limited to employees at level 70 and below in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and India. The exit packages will be comparable to standard severance and include base pay, stock options, healthcare, and career planning services. Microsoft expects a lower adoption rate than its previous early retirement program, and the company stated that artificial intelligence is not driving the buyout initiative, though it has been reducing headcount for years as it invests heavily in AI infrastructure.