Microsoft offers voluntary exit packages to 60,000 staff

Microsoft is offering voluntary departure packages to about 60,000 employees, the company said on Monday, in a move aimed at reducing expenses while it continues investing heavily in artificial intelligence. Business Recorder reported that the eligible group represents roughly one-quarter of Microsoft’s workforce.

The offer covers selected teams in the United States, Canada, India and Britain, and applies to employees at vice president level or below, according to a company spokesperson. Some staff will not qualify, including workers in certain data centre, sales and marketing groups. The report also noted a separate Microsoft update to Copilot involving code generation.

The voluntary programme links workforce restructuring with Microsoft’s continued AI spending, but the source provides no financial value for the packages or expected savings. For Pakistani market readers, the story is relevant to the technology sector because it concerns how a major global technology company is managing costs while expanding its AI focus.