Microsoft Offers Voluntary Exit Packages to About 60,000 Employees

Microsoft confirmed on October 26 that it is offering voluntary buyouts to roughly 60,000 employees, according to TechCrunch. The program, called the "Voluntary Exit Offer," was announced to staff in a note from chief people officer Amy Coleman, which the company also posted on its blog. Business Insider first reported the plan.

Who is eligible

Employees at vice president level and below on select teams in the United States, Canada, India and the United Kingdom can apply. Some groups are excluded, including staff in data centers and in sales and marketing. Bloomberg reported that Xbox, Windows, Copilot and Finance are among the participating divisions.

Eligible employees were due to receive an email on Monday with a link to their personal offer details. TechCrunch reported that the terms are similar to Microsoft's standard severance.

What Microsoft said

Coleman described the program as "new for us." The company said the offer gives eligible employees "who may be considering a future outside the company a new choice," and that there is "no one-size-fits-all approach for every team or every employee."

TechCrunch framed the move as a way to reduce headcount without the more disruptive step of mass layoffs. Microsoft has not said how many employees it expects to accept.

Context

• Microsoft's headcount stood at 223,000 at the end of June, per TechCrunch.
• Earlier this year Microsoft offered buyouts to retirement-age employees. Bloomberg reported that more than 30% of roughly 8,750 eligible workers accepted.
• The new offer is far broader in scope than that earlier program, covering about 60,000 workers across several product groups.

Microsoft did not disclose a deadline or a cost estimate in the details reported so far.