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Indian Express
17-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Intel follows Microsoft with 5,000+ layoffs in one of July's biggest tech job cuts
The spate of layoffs in the IT sector seems to be moving forward unabated. Earlier this month, Redmond-based tech giant Microsoft announced that it was laying off 9,000 employees, now chipmaker Intel is reportedly gearing up for its biggest job cuts yet. Several reports seem to be suggesting that Intel is gearing up to lay off over 5,000 employees across four states in the US. While Intel has not made any official announcement, the genesis of the news seems to be the company's recently updated Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filings. Reportedly, the company doubled its layoffs in California's Santa Clara and Folsom which seems to have impacted 1,935 employees. Reportedly, the job cuts began on July 11 in Folsom, and Santa Clara on July 15. The job cuts at Intel are reportedly going to affect more workers in Oregon, Texas, and Arizona. Layoffs are just not limited to the US, several other reports suggest that Intel is also laying off hundreds of its staff from Israel, especially those working at its Kiryat Gat campus. According to reports, Intel has also changed its layoff estimates in other parts of the US. The company sacked 2,392 people in Hillsboro, Oregon, and 696 in Chandler, Arizona. Earlier this month, explaining its spate of layoffs, Intel reportedly said that it was taking steps to become 'leaner, faster, and more efficient'. The purported mail said that Intel was working towards removing organisational complexity and empowering its engineers to better serve the needs of customers. Earlier this month, it was reported that Microsoft was slashing close to four per cent of its global workforce. On July 2, Microsoft said that it was axing 9,000 jobs from across the team impacting professionals of all levels of experience. The company' spokesperson said that Microsoft will continue to implement organisational changes needed to best position the company and its teams for success. So far, Microsoft has been laying off its staff sporadically. In January, the company said that it was planning to slash one per cent of its staff based performance. In May this year, Microsoft cut 6,000 jobs and an additional 300 in June. This is the company's second biggest layoff in recent times. In 2023, it laid off 10,000 employees and nearly 18,000 in 2014. All of these layoffs show how Microsoft is making efforts towards reducing its headcounts.
Indian Express
12-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
OpenAI loses Windsurf as Google swoops the AI startup's CEO, team, and tech for $2.4B
ChatGPT maker OpenAI has been trying to acquire the popular AI coding platform Windsurf by offering them $3 billion for quite some time now. But now, a report by The Verge claims that the deal has fallen apart after OpenAI's exclusivity period for its acquisition lapsed, allowing Windsurf to consider In an interesting turn of events, Google's DeepMind division has confirmed that it is now poaching Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, along with a small group of staff. While Google isn't buying a stake in Windsurf and has clarified that it won't have any control over the company, as part of its deal, the tech giant is paying Windsurf $2.4 billion to get a nonexclusive license to some of its in-house developed technology. In a statement to Fortune, a Google spokesperson said, 'We're excited to welcome some top AI coding talent from Windsurf's team to Google DeepMind to advance our work in agentic coding.' Also, the AI startup's remaining 250-person team will continue working in the company with Windsurf's head of business – Jeff Wang, taking over as interim CEO. In a post on X, Wang told Windsurf's customers that its enterprise-grade AI coding tools aren't going anywhere. With Google poaching top talent from Windsurf, the tech giant's AI coding tools might get a significant boost. Like Anthropic, the company has been focusing more and more on developing AI coding applications to lure developers. As for Windsurf, the company might lose some of its momentum as its top talent is now heading over to Google. When Meta acquired Scale AI, the AI startup lost some of its customers. A few months after Microsoft poached Inflection's then-CEO, Mustafa Suleyman, the company announced that it no longer wanted to work on consumer-grade AI applications and was pivoting more towards enterprise customers. The news comes as a huge setback to ChatGPT maker OpenAI, which, in the last few months, has been struggling to retain its employees from tech giants like Google and Meta. According to the Wall Street Journal, tensions between OpenAI and Microsoft are reaching their high point. While the Sam Altman-led company wants to loosen Microsoft's grip over its AI technology and products, the ChatGPT developer still needs the Redmond-based tech giant's blessing if it wants to become a for-profit company and go public. With antitrust cases piling up against Meta, Apple and Google, big tech companies are playing it safe by poaching top talent instead of buying companies outright. This not only makes it cheaper and easier for them, but also attracts less attention from governments around the world. But Google isn't the only tech giant using these stealthy tactics. In March last year, Microsoft did the same thing with Mustafa Suleyman, who previously headed Google's DeepMind division to establish Inflection AI, the company behind the popular AI chatbot Pi.
India.com
11-07-2025
- Business
- India.com
Bad news for employees of THIS company as it fires 15000 workers, makes AI mandatory for…, not Google, Amazon, Ratan Tata's TCS, Narayana Murthy's Infosys
Representational Image/AI-generated Microsoft layoffs: Microsoft has cut more than 15000 jobs across multiple divisions in several rounds of massive layoffs, and has asked the rest of its employees to invest in AI skilling. The Redmond-based tech giant has urged workers to 'invest in your own AI skilling', The Information reported, citing the company's internal communications. As per the report, Microsoft eliminated over 15,000 jobs in at least four major rounds of layoffs in 2025, including cutting 9,000 positions in the latest round that focused on its Xbox gaming division and sales teams. Earlier, Microsoft had sacked 6,000 workers in May, followed by more workforce reductions in June. Why Microsoft made AI mandatory for employees? Microsoft plans to replace its sales force, which was primarily targeted in the latest round of layoffs, with more technical 'solutions engineers' who can demonstrate AI tools directly to customers. In an internal memo sent a day before the latest Microsoft layoffs, the company's sales chief, Judson Althoff, who is reportedly on an 8-week sabbatical, outlined Microsoft's plans to become 'the Frontier AI Firm' and 'establish a Copilot on every device and across every role'. According to a Business Insider report, Microsoft has made AI usage mandatory in the performance review of employees. Recently, Julia Liuson, president of Microsoft's Developer Division, directed managers that AI usage 'should be part of your holistic reflections on an individual's performance and impact', the report said. 'AI [usage) is no longer optional — it's core to every role and every level,' read an internal email sent by Liuson to managers. As per the report, Microsoft is mulling to add formal formal AI usage metrics to performance reviews to force greater adoption of its Copilot AI services. Various teams are exploring specific AI usage benchmarks in next fiscal year's employee evaluations, sources said, according to the report. How Microsoft's AI push is threatening more jobs? Microsoft is reportedly planning to invest a staggering $80 billion in 2025 to develop more AI infrastructure, aimed at expanding the company's AI capabilities and rolling out its Copilot AI assistants across various platforms and services. However, this shift in priorities is threatening various roles within the company, especially in product development and engineering, which are being restructured or gradually phased out.
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
What Pakistan government said on Microsoft closing operations in the country: Full Statement
Microsoft recently completely shut down its operations in Pakistan. Microsoft had set up its operations in Pakistan in June 2000. Shutting down of Microsoft Pakistan after 25 years 'marked end of an era' as the company's first country head Jawwad Rehman said in a post on LinkedIn. 'This is more than a corporate exit. It's a sobering signal of the environment our country has created … one where even global giants like Microsoft find it unsustainable to stay. It also reflects on what was done (or not done) with the strong foundation we left behind by the subsequent team and regional management of Microsoft,' Rehman wrote in the post. The Redmond-based too has confirmed closing down its office in Pakistan. 'Our customer agreements and service will not be affected by this change,' a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement to TechCrunch. 'We follow this model successfully in a number of other countries around the world. Our customers remain our top priority and can expect the same high level of service going forward,' the spokesperson added. The Pakistan government issued a statement on Microsoft closing operations in the country. The release titled, 'Microsoft's Operational Restructuring: Ensure Continued Commitment to Pakistan', termed Microsoft's decision part of a wider global restructuring. Here's is the full statement. 'Microsoft's Operational Restructuring: Ensure Continued Commitment to Pakistan' The global pivot from on-premise software (transactional deals) to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) (recurring revenue) continues to reshape how technology firms structure their international operations. Microsoft is no exception. Over the past few years the company has shifted licensing and commercial-contract management for Pakistan to its European hub in Ireland, while day-to-day service delivery here has been handled entirely by its certified local partners. Against that backdrop, we understand Microsoft is now reviewing the future of its liaison office in Pakistan as part of a wider workforce-optimisation programme. This would reflect a long-signalled strategy, consolidating direct headcount and moving toward a partner-led, cloud-based delivery model, rather than a retreat from the Pakistani market. Pakistan's Ministry of IT & Telecom recognises the strategic value of having leading global technology providers active in the country. We will continue to engage Microsoft's regional and global leadership to ensure that any structural changes strengthen, rather than diminish, Microsoft's long term commitment to Pakistani customers, developers and channel partners. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
What Microsoft said on shutting down its 25-year-old operations in Pakistan: We follow this ...
Microsoft recently shut down its operations in Pakistan after 25 years. The news of Microsoft closing down its operations in Pakistan was first revealed in a LinkedIn post by Jawwad Rehman, the founding head of Microsoft Pakistan. However, the move is said to be in the offing for sometime as only a liaison office with around five employees remained in Pakistan. Microsoft has now confirmed the complete closure of the company's operations in the country. The Redmond-based company told TechCrunch that it is changing its operational model in Pakistan. The report further added that Microsoft did not have any engineering resources in Pakistan. This is unlike Microsoft's operations in India and other growing markets. The closure comes amid broader company restructuring of Microsoft's operations globally. What Microsoft said on closing operations in Pakistan 'Our customer agreements and service will not be affected by this change,' a Microsoft spokesperson said in an emailed statement. It added that the company will now serve its customers through resellers and 'other closely located Microsoft offices.' the spokesperson added, 'We follow this model successfully in a number of other countries around the world. Our customers remain our top priority and can expect the same high level of service going forward.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The decision will reportedly impact the five Microsoft employees in Pakistan. These employees reportedly sold Azure and Office products in the country What Microsoft Pakistan country head said on the exit In a post titled 'End of an Era… Microsoft Pakistan', the company's first-ever country head in Pakistan Rehman wrote, "Today, I learned that Microsoft is officially closing its operations in Pakistan. The last few remaining employees were formally informed and just like that, an era ends... Exactly 25 years ago, in June 2000, I had the honor of launching and leading Microsoft Pakistan." He added, "Today's news forces reflection. This is more than a corporate exit. It's a sobering signal of the environment our country has created.. one where even global giants like Microsoft find it unsustainable to stay. It also reflects on what was done (or not done) with the strong foundation we left behind by the subsequent team and regional management of Microsoft." He further said that it is time for Pakistan to reflect on what has changed. "We must ask: What changed? What was lost? What happened to the values, leadership, and vision that once made it all possible?" he wrote. "Allah grants honor and opportunity to whom He wills.. and takes it away from those who lose sight of it. But if your work leaves behind impact, integrity & inspiration.. then know that Allah's favor was with you," the post added. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
