
Microsoft layoffs: Tech giant's sales head Judson Althoff asked to go on two-month leave. Here's why
Judson Althoff
to step away for an eight-week sabbatical. The move that coincides with an expected wave of terminations targeting his organization as Microsoft is preparing to eliminate thousands of employees in its sales division, reports Bloomberg.
Chief Commercial Officer Judson Althoff will step away for eight weeks, a company spokesperson said. Althoff "will be back with his team in September," the spokesperson said. The sabbatical was timed to the close of Microsoft's fiscal year, which ends Monday.
Microsoft layoffs amid AI boom
It was reported earlier that Microsoft is planning to fire thousands of jobs, particularly in sales division as part of an effort to trim its workforce amid heavy spending on artificial intelligence. Microsoft often makes major organizational changes near the end of its fiscal year.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Elegant New Scooters For Seniors In 2024: The Prices May Surprise You
Mobility Scooter | Search Ads
Learn More
Undo
ALSO READ:
Trump gives deportation threat to Elon Musk. But US President's latest target might have an exit plan
This is another round of layoff with a major workforce reduction this year for the Redmond-based tech giant, following 6,000 cuts in May and over 300 additional eliminations just weeks later. Bloomberg first reported the planned summer layoffs, with sources indicating the timing coincides with the start of Microsoft's new fiscal year beginning in July.
Live Events
Microsoft's sales and marketing division employs approximately 45,000 of the company's 228,000 total workforce as of June 2024. The company signaled this shift in April this year when it announced plans to use third-party firms to handle more software sales to small and mid-sized customers. Sources told Bloomberg the reductions won't exclusively affect sales teams, though they will bear the brunt of the cuts.
Fresh layoffs at Microsoft
Microsoft said Wednesday it will fire 9,000 employees. The move will affect less than 4% of its global workforce across different teams, geographies and levels of experience. 'We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company and teams for success in a dynamic marketplace,' a Microsoft spokesperson said in an email.
ALSO READ:
25 million Americans at risk? Trump's most shocking deportation call targets US citizens as he sets bizarre conditions
There have been several rounds of layoffs at Microsoft already this calendar year. In January, it cut less than 1% of headcount based on performance. The 50-year-old software company slashed over 6,000 jobs in May and then at least 300 more in June. As of June 2024 it employed 228,000 people. In 2023, it laid off 10,000.
Corporate America has kicked off a series of job cuts across sectors as companies attempt to streamline operations amid economic uncertainties, following similar cutbacks seen last year.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Mint
24 minutes ago
- Mint
Dubai's booming restaurant scene is feeling the heat of high costs and high failure rates
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — From suspended tables to underwater lounges, some 13,000 food and drink establishments in Dubai pull out all the stops to attract customers in one of the world's most saturated dining markets. They cater to all tastes and budgets. Some spots ladle out inexpensive biryani while others offer dishes dusted with edible gold. These are some of the ways the emirate is competing with its neighbors Saudi Arabia and Qatar for tourist dollars and, so far, it's beating them handily. Dubai has more restaurants per capita than any major city except Paris. But the city-state's booming restaurant scene is testing the limits of its growth-at-all-costs model, raising questions about how long Dubai can keep feeding its own ambitions. The competition is cutthroat, so presentation is key. 'Gone are the days when it just tastes good,' said Kym Barter, the general manager of Atlantis The Palm, a resort perched on a manmade archipelago that boasts more Michelin stars than any other venue in the Middle East. But dazzling Dubai's food bloggers — the most popular of whom have millions of social media followers — isn't enough. Staying afloat means battling high rents and winning over a diverse and demanding group of consumers. Dubai has roughly nine expatriate residents for every Emirati citizen. Most of its private sector workers are migrants on temporary contracts, and only Vatican City has a higher share of foreign-born residents. Tourists, in turn, outnumber locals about five to one by some estimates, and they spend lavishly. Visitors to Dubai drop an average of over five times more than those traveling to nearby Saudi Arabia or even the U.S., according to global restaurant consultant Aaron Allen. Dubai is 'on the right path' to becoming the world's food capital, said Torsten Vildgaard, executive chef at FZN by Björn Frantzén. The restaurant, which runs at more than $540 a head, was one of two in Dubai to nab three Michelin stars in May. 'We're only seeing the tip of the iceberg of what's to come in terms of gastronomy here,' Vildgaard added. With each new set of illuminated high-rises and hotels, another crop of eateries emerge, vying for patrons. The legions of construction workers powering Dubai's progress also need affordable options. That growth, propped up in part by investor pressure on some of the world's biggest chains to expand in Dubai, has created what some analysts warn is a bubble. 'If you're a publicly traded company like Americana, what are you supposed to do — just stop opening restaurants?' restaurant consultant Allen said, referring to the Gulf-based operator of KFC, Pizza Hut and other big franchises. The frenetic expansion of Dubai's restaurant industry is part of a regional shift that has seen Gulf Arab states pour hundreds of billions of dollars into building out tourist destinations as they move away from hydrocarbons to diversify their economies. Saudi Arabia has a high-stakes, $500 billion project: a straight-line futuristic city called Neom. But, in a Muslim-majority region, the United Arab Emirates has gone to lengths that some consider too much of a compromise, including relaxing restrictions on alcohol that fuel its pubs and nightlife and other social reforms. The rapid development comes at a price. Dubai's restaurants have a high failure rate, industry veterans say, though local authorities don't say what the rate of closures is. In the downtown district and other prime areas, annual rents for restaurants can top $100 per square foot. That's on a par with some of the world's most expensive cities. Still, the emirate issued almost 1,200 new restaurant licenses last year, according to Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism. The department declined to respond to questions. Empty tables during peak hours are common, even in top locations. Part of the problem, managers say, is that traffic congestion is so severe that convincing diners to drive out can be a tall task. 'I sometimes go, 'Do I go into the restaurant right now, because I'm going to get into traffic?''' said Waseem Abdul Hameed, operations manager at Ravi, a Pakistani family-owned eatery famous for its official Adidas shoe line and a 2010 TV feature from Anthony Bourdain. He knows restaurateurs who have had to shut up shop and others who are squeezed by slim margins and increasingly reliant on delivery apps, Hameed said. The demand sends fleets of migrant workers racing through gridlock on motorbikes, with few protections and tight delivery windows. Emirati newspaper Khaleej Times reported the accidental deaths of 17 Dubai food couriers last year. The math of Dubai's restaurant scene doesn't add up, delivery apps and wealthy tourists notwithstanding, restaurant consultant Allen said. He cited operating expenses that have more than doubled relative to sales since 2009, when a financial crisis almost hobbled the emirate. Too many Dubai entrepreneurs, he put it simply, have 'too much money, and they don't know what to do besides open restaurants.'


New Indian Express
25 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
'MAGA IS NOT HAPPY': Trump's tax bill stalled by GOP rebellion in US Congress
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump's signature tax and spending bill was in limbo early Thursday as Republican leaders in the US Congress scrambled to win over a group of rebels threatening to torpedo the centerpiece of the president's domestic agenda. Trump is seeking final approval in the House of Representatives for his Senate-passed "One Big Beautiful Bill" -- but faces opposition on all sides of his fractious party over provisions set to balloon the national debt while launching a historic assault on the social safety net. As midnight (0400 GMT) struck, House Speaker Mike Johnson was still holding open a key procedural vote -- the bill's last hurdle before it can advance to be considered for final approval -- more than two hours after it was first called. With no clear sign of the stalemate breaking, his lieutenants huddled in tense meetings behind the scenes with the rebels who had either voted no or had yet to come to the House floor. "We're going to get there tonight. We're working on it and very, very positive about our progress," Johnson told reporters at the Capitol, according to Politico. Originally approved by the House in May, Trump's sprawling legislation squeezed through the Senate on Tuesday by a solitary vote but had to return to the lower chamber Wednesday for a rubber stamp of the Senate's revisions.


Hans India
28 minutes ago
- Hans India
Indian stock indices rise at open, supported by hopes of a trade agreement with the US and gains across Asian markets
Shares of Punjab National Bank fell over 1 percent on July 3 after its Q1FY26 business update disappointed analysts' hopes. Brokerages including Citi and Morgan Stanley cited muted loan growth and soft deposit momentum in the April–June period. Indian markets are trading marginally higher as President Trump said that the US and Vietnam have reached a trade deal that will bring down the tariff at 20 per cent from 46 per cent. This move raised hopes that the effective tariff rate of India could stabilise at 15-18 per cent. 'The Asian market is waiting for a trigger to take the Nifty to the all-time high of 26,277.35. All eyes are on the US June nonfarm payrolls data that will come on Thursday and the numbers are expected to be weak, which will lead to the hopes of Fed rate cuts revive. If the number is good, the chances of Fed rate cuts may recede,' Prashanth Tapse, senior VP (research), Mehta Equities Ltd, told Financial Express Online. Among the Sensex firms, Asian Paints, Tata Steel, Infosys, Mahindra & Mahindra, Eternal and Tata Motors were the biggest gainers. Market capitalisation stands at Rs 324,838.32 crore. Nifty would trade in the range of 25,200-25,800 for some more time till a trigger comes in which takes the index out of this range. If it is a positive trigger, then it can be from an India-US trade deal that is likely to be announced in a couple of days, V.K. Vijayakumar, chief investment strategist, Geojit Investments Limited, told Financial Express Online. With total capex for the expansion programmes to exceed Rs 750 crore over the next few years, the company has already commenced a few projects.