Latest news with #PeteWootton
The Verge
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Verge
Microsoft is laying off more than 6,000 employees
Microsoft announced on Tuesday that it's laying off more than 6,000 employees, around three percent of the company's entire workforce. These are the biggest job cuts at Microsoft since it laid off 10,000 employees in 2023, and will impact employees across Microsoft's businesses. 'We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace,' says Microsoft spokesperson Pete Wootton in a statement to The Verge. I understand that the job cuts will impact all levels at Microsoft, including Microsoft-owned LinkedIn and some international offices. The cuts come just weeks after Microsoft CFO Amy Hood hinted at reducing the company's management layers. 'We continue to focus on building high-performing teams and increasing our agility by reducing layers with fewer managers,' said Hood on April 30th. Microsoft also started ' performance-based' cuts earlier this year, which have targeted hundreds of employees. The latest job losses come more than a year after Microsoft laid off 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees, and then in May 2024 the company closed several game studios, including Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Redfall developer Arkane Austin. Tango Gameworks later returned thanks to a deal with Krafton. Microsoft also laid off 650 more Xbox employees in September, as part of a restructuring related to the company's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Microsoft also cut around 1,000 employees from its HoloLens and Azure cloud teams in June.
Newsweek
13-05-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Mass Layoffs Hit Microsoft
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Microsoft is laying off thousands of its employees this week, according to media reports. Newsweek reached out to Microsoft for comment via email. Why It Matters More than 100 large companies across various industries are laying off employees in May as businesses across the country are grappling with a shifting landscape including the potential for tariffs and emerging technologies that are reshaping the workforce. Others are seeking to improve efficiency and maximize profits by cutting the number of employees on the payroll. What to Know Nearly 3 percent of all Microsoft employees, about 6,000 people, are receiving layoff notices, reported several tech and financial news outlets including CNBC and GeekWire. The layoffs are affecting a range of levels and teams across the United States, GeekWire reported. A Microsoft sign is seen on March 13, 2020 in New York City. A Microsoft sign is seen on March 13, 2020 in New York June 2024, Microsoft had about 228,000 employees but some have been laid off since, according to the company's website. This included 126,000 working in the United States and 102,000 internationally. According to the group Legal Aid at Work, a mass layoff occurs under the WARN Act when at least 50 employees are laid off during a 30-day period and affects one-third of the workplace if 500 employees are laid off during a 30-day period regardless of the company's size or an entire work site is closed down and at least 50 employees are laid off during a 30-day period. In January 2023, Microsoft laid off about 10,000 employees. There have been some layoffs since then, including some performance-based layoffs in January, per CNBC, but those have been in smaller numbers. Other tech companies, such as Meta, have also been affected by large-scale layoffs so far this year. Microsoft's stock dropped about 1.5 percent by noon on Tuesday. So far in 2025, its stock has risen about 7 percent. What Happens Next Microsoft spokesperson Pete Wootton told The Verge: "We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace." Microsoft CFO Amy Hood said during the company's third-quarter conference call on April 30: "Operating expenses increased two percent and three percent in constant currency, lower than expected due to our focus on cost efficiencies as well as investments that shifted to quarter four. Operating margins increased 1 point year over year to 46 percent, better than expected as we continue to focus on building high-performing teams and increasing our agility by reducing layers with fewer managers." What Happens Next Many details about the layoffs including who in particular would be affected remained unknown publicly. More companies could announce layoffs this year, but it's yet to be seen which could do so.
The Verge
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Verge
Microsoft announces layoffs that will impact at least 6,000 employees
Microsoft is laying off more than 6,000 employees, around three percent of the company's entire workforce. These are the biggest job cuts at Microsoft since it laid off 10,000 employees in 2023, and will impact employees across Microsoft's businesses. 'We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace,' says Microsoft spokesperson Pete Wootton in a statement to The Verge. I understand that the job cuts will impact all levels at Microsoft, including Microsoft-owned LinkedIn and some international offices. The cuts come just weeks after Microsoft CFO Amy Hood hinted at reducing the company's management layers. 'We continue to focus on building high-performing teams and increasing our agility by reducing layers with fewer managers,' said Hood on April 30th. Microsoft also started ' performance-based' cuts earlier this year, which have targeted hundreds of employees. The latest job losses come more than a year after Microsoft laid off 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees, and then in May 2024 the company closed several game studios, including Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Redfall developer Arkane Austin. Tango Gameworks later returned thanks to a deal with Krafton. Microsoft also laid off 650 more Xbox employees in September, as part of a restructuring related to the company's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Microsoft also cut around 1,000 employees from its HoloLens and Azure cloud teams in June.
