Microsoft Offers Buyouts to 60,000 Staff, About a Quarter of Workforce
The Voluntary Exit Offer gives roughly 60,000 employees a severance package to leave, according to Business Insider.
Microsoft has introduced a Voluntary Exit Offer that gives roughly 60,000 employees — about 25 percent of its workforce — the option to leave the company with a severance package, according to Business Insider.
Chief People Officer Amy Coleman described the program as new in a memo to staff. Employees who accept the offer receive a severance package in exchange for departing voluntarily.
It is not immediately clear which Microsoft divisions and departments are eligible for the program. The Xbox gaming division is among the parts of the company that have been cutting staff.
The move follows earlier workforce reductions at Xbox, which has gone through substantial rounds of annual layoffs in recent years. The gaming division previously announced a goal of 3,200 layoffs through June 2027 as part of its current "reset" of Xbox.
In the spring of 2026, Microsoft ran a Voluntary Retirement Program offering veteran employees severance and certain vested stock options early. That program was extended to 9,000 employees, and about a third accepted, according to Business Insider.
Quick answers
How many Microsoft employees are eligible for the Voluntary Exit Offer?
Roughly 60,000 employees, about 25 percent of Microsoft's workforce, according to Business Insider.
What do employees get if they accept the offer?
Employees who accept receive a severance package in exchange for leaving the company voluntarily.