Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 employees, more than a quarter of its global workforce, Reuters reported Monday. The offer covers eligible staff in participating teams in the United States, Canada, India and the United Kingdom.
Chief People Officer Amy Coleman confirmed the new Voluntary Exit Offer in an October 26 staff memo published by Microsoft. Employees at level 70 and below can qualify, but participation depends on their organization. The company describes it as a time-limited program with financial support and career-planning resources.
The 60,000 figure describes people eligible for an offer. The number who will accept it, and therefore the eventual reduction in headcount, remains unknown.
Eligibility and the earlier retirement offer
Microsoft says participating organizations made their choices around business priorities, customer commitments and workforce needs. Eligible employees were due to receive individual offer details by email on Monday. The public memo does not give one companywide acceptance deadline or publish a universal payout formula.
KUOW reported that level 70 reaches the vice president level. A Microsoft spokesperson told the station that the offer would be comparable to its standard severance package, with terms varying by market and tenure. Some sales, marketing and engineering teams will not participate, according to KUOW.
The new exit offer follows an earlier voluntary retirement program. KUOW reported that about 30% of eligible staff accepted that earlier offer, whose terms were more generous. That uptake does not establish how many employees will accept this program.
The announcement arrives during Microsoft's heavy investment in AI infrastructure. Reuters reported that the company had forecast $175 billion in capital spending for calendar 2026. A spokesperson told KUOW that AI is not driving the buyout programs. Microsoft’s public memo describes the offer as a way for participating organizations to adapt their workforces and says it will continue to support internal opportunities for employees.
