Microsoft is trying to shed a lot of workers. Just don’t call it a layoff.

By Chip Cutter and Isabella Simonetti

Goodwin Recruiting’s CEO, Andy Decker, was quoted in today’s Wall Street Journal article about the Microsoft and Skydance buyouts and how it affects 60,000 workers as they invest more in AI.

CUTTER, SIMONETTI: “The two companies each offered voluntary buyouts to workers Monday, reflecting the pressure companies face to shrink head count as they invest in AI—even if they aren’t sure which jobs the technology will eventually replace. At Microsoft, it was the largest voluntary buyout offer in its history, extended to about one quarter of its staff, or 60,000 people.

It is a move more big firms such as Alphabet’s Google, Verizon and Intel have adopted as they have culled their workforces in recent years. Seeking volunteers lets companies avoid the optics of a surprise mega-layoff, especially as the public backlash to AI intensifies. Many tech firms have already laid off staff en masse this year, including Netflix, Oracle, Meta Platforms, PayPal and Amazon.”

 

DECKER: “They’re having to re-evaluate their current workforce so they can pay for the AI and the tools they’re going to use in the future. Shareholders want to see cost-cutting, they want to see efficiency.”

Read the full Wall Street Journal article at: Microsoft is trying to shed a lot of workers. Just don’t call it a layoff.

Or on MSN at: Microsoft is trying to shed a lot of workers. Just don’t call it a layoff.