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Metro
07-07-2025
- Business
- Metro
Xbox is being set up to fail by Microsoft bosses, claims insider
As the fallout from Xbox's brutal job cuts continues, more layoffs seem inevitable as Microsoft execs set targets that are going to be almost impossible to meet. There's still very little official information about the Xbox job cuts from last week, but estimates suggest that around 4,000 people were laid off. The worst thing is that rumours immediately suggested that more cuts are to come, despite over 6,000 jobs already having been cut in less than two years. Microsoft has given no real explanation for the enormous cuts, but an insider suggests that they're been driven by execs outside of Xbox, in part because of the enormous $75.4 billion cost of buying Activision Blizzard. According to Windows Central's Jez Corden, Microsoft's chief financial officer Amy Hood has imposed 'utterly unrealistic financial requirements' that will 'continue hurting the division' and lead to more layoffs in the future. Tom Warren of The Verge replied to Corden's tweet, saying: 'I don't think it's unrealistic, it's just the reality of the Xbox business after the Activision Blizzard acquisition. Without that deal Xbox revenue would be down, and the Game Pass gamble hasn't paid off yet.' To that Corden, merely replied, 'Disagree.' The two are the most high-profile Microsoft insiders and they don't seem to disagree over the idea that Xbox is chasing some extremely difficult targets, with no obvious sign that the current line-up of games can significantly change their fortunes. Microsoft CFO Amy Hood has given Xbox an utterly unrealistic financial requirement that is going to continue hurting the division. This isn't over. — Jez (@JezCorden) July 5, 2025 Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. At the same time, a report by The Seattle Times points out that Microsoft has laid off over 15,000 people in total during 2025 (and remember, we're only halfway through the year so far) and supposedly it's primarily to free up money to invest more in AI. Microsoft has previously stated that the layoffs have, in part, been an attempt to remove middle managers, but the report suggests that only about 17% of the cuts at Microsoft's Redmond HQ were managers. More Trending Instead, software engineers were hardest hit, along with product and program managers. Software engineers in particular are the most vulnerable to being replaced with AI but perhaps Microsoft feels managers would be viewed as less sympathetically by the wider public. However, the report suggests that the company's focus is not replacing workers with AI but simply saving money by laying them off, in order to invest more into AI infrastructure. Microsoft plans to spend more than $80 billion – slightly more than the cost of buying Activision Blizzard in 2023 – to 'meet AI demands' and the layoffs are apparently the flipside of that decision. All of this turmoil takes place as Microsoft enjoys some of its best financial results of recent years, making $26 billion in profit on the back of $70 billion sales, beating both Apple and Nvidia, and exceeding analyst estimates. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Xbox Game Pass has been 'damaging the industry for a decade' says Arkane founder MORE: Games Inbox: What is the best retro video game? MORE: Best new mobile games on iOS and Android – July 2025 round-up
Time of India
04-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Microsoft layoffs: Tech giant cuts 830 jobs in home state
Microsoft recently announced that it has laid off 9,000 employees. Among the thousands of jobs eliminated, 830 employees in the company's home state of Washington have been impacted. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now These layoffs are part of a broader effort by the tech giant to streamline operations. According to CNBC, a document submitted by Microsoft to Washington employment officials reveals the impact of the layoffs across various departments. Microsoft cuts jobs across gaming, engineering and research departments Within the gaming sector, nearly a dozen game design workers in the state were let go, alongside three audio designers, the report said. The cuts also extended to engineering and research, affecting two mechanical engineers, one optical engineer, and one lab technician. Microsoft Research saw the departure of five individual contributors and one manager. Additionally, the company laid off 10 lawyers and six hardware engineers, the publication reported. Sales and cloud divisions also affected The restructuring also hit Microsoft's sales force, with 16 customer success account management staff, 28 in sales strategy enablement, and five in sales compensation roles based in Washington being let go, the report said, adding that a Washington-based government affairs worker was also included in the reductions. Even the growing cloud services division experienced cuts, with 17 jobs eliminated in cloud solution architecture within the state. This comes as Microsoft's fastest revenue growth continues to be driven by Azure and its other cloud offerings. While CEO has not publicly commented on these latest layoffs, many Microsoft salespeople and video game developers have taken to social media to announce their departures. During an April conference call with analysts, Microsoft CFO Amy Hood had indicated the company's 'focus on cost efficiencies' during the March quarter.
CNBC
03-07-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Microsoft layoffs hit 830 workers in home state of Washington
Among the thousands of Microsoft employees who lost their jobs in the cutbacks announced this week were 830 staffers in the company's home state of Washington. Nearly a dozen game design workers in the state were part of the layoffs, along with three audio designers, two mechanical engineers, one optical engineer and one lab technician, according to a document Microsoft submitted to Washington employment officials. There were also five individual contributors and one manager at the Microsoft Research division in the cuts, as well as 10 lawyers and six hardware engineers, the document shows. Microsoft announced plans on Wednesday to eliminate 9,000 jobs, as part of an effort to eliminate redundancy and to encourage employees to focus on more meaningful work by adopting new technologies, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC. The person asked not to be named while discussing private matters. Scores of Microsoft salespeople and video game developers have since come forward on social media to announce their departure. In April, Microsoft said revenue from Xbox content and services grew 8%, trailing overall growth of 13%. In sales, the company parted ways with 16 customer success account management staff members based in Washington, 28 in sales strategy enablement and another five in sales compensation. One Washington-based government affairs worker was also laid off. Microsoft eliminated 17 jobs in cloud solution architecture in the state, according to the document. The company's fastest revenue growth comes from Azure and other cloud services that customers buy based on usage. CEO Satya Nadella has not publicly commented on the layoffs, and Microsoft didn't immediately provide a comment about the cuts in Washington. On a conference call with analysts in April, Microsoft CFO Amy Hood said the company had a "focus on cost efficiencies" during the March quarter.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Microsoft to lay off 9,000 workers in latest round of job cuts
Microsoft is laying off just under 4% of its workforce in a new round of job cuts, the company said Wednesday. The cuts will affect 9,000 workers across the company, as it continues to make moves to trim its staff. "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 a statement to CBS News. The latest round of layoffs comes after the company slashed more than 6,000 jobs in May and June, in an effort to streamline operations. The previous job cuts were intended to flatten the organization "by reducing layers with fewer managers," Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood said on an April earnings call. As of June 2024, the Redmond, Washington-based company employed roughly 228,000 people worldwide, according to company data. Wednesday's move jibes with the organization's overarching goal to cut the number of managers per team. It also comes as Microsoft encourages employees to lean on new technologies and capabilities to focus on meaningful work, a company spokesperson said. Microsoft reported net income of nearly $26 billion, and revenue of more than $70 billion, for the third quarter ending in March. It is one of the most profitable companies, with a market capitalization of $3.7 trillion, according to FactSet. Extended interview: Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi speaks to CBS News after U.S. strikes Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down 176-year-old state abortion ban Examining the mixed verdict in Sean "Diddy" Combs' trial Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Winnipeg Free Press
02-07-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Microsoft announces another mass layoff, thousands of workers affected
Microsoft is firing thousands of workers, its second mass layoff in months. The tech giant began sending out layoff notices Wednesday. The company declined to say how many people would be laid off but said that it will comprise less than 4% of the workforce it had a year ago. Microsoft said the cuts will affect multiple teams around the world, including its sales division and its Xbox video game business. 'We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company and teams for success in a dynamic marketplace,' it said in a statement. Microsoft employed 228,000 full-time workers as of last June, the last time it reported its annual headcount. The company said Wednesday that its latest layoffs would cut close to 4% of that workforce, which would be about 9,000 people. But it has already had at least three layoffs this year. Until now, the biggest was in May, when Microsoft began laying off about 6,000 workers, nearly 3% of its global workforce and its largest job cuts in more than two years as the company spent heavily on artificial intelligence. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Microsoft also cut another 300 workers based out of its Redmond, Washington headquarters in June, on top of nearly 2,000 who lost their jobs in the Puget Sound region in May, according to notices it sent to Washington state employment officials. The layoffs announced in May were heavily focused on people in software engineering and product management roles, according to lists the company sent to employment agencies in Washington and California — where the cuts also hit Microsoft offices in the San Francisco Bay Area. Microsoft's chief financial officer Amy Hood said on an April earnings call that the company was focused on 'building high-performing teams and increasing our agility by reducing layers with fewer managers.' The company has repeatedly characterized its recent layoffs as part of a push to trim management layers, but the May focus on software engineering jobs has fueled worries about how the company's own AI code-writing products could reduce the number of people need for programming jobs. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said earlier this year that 'maybe 20, 30% of the code' for some of Microsoft's coding projects 'are probably all written by software.'
