Microsoft offers buyouts to 60,000 employees to avoid more layoffs

Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 employees—roughly a quarter of its workforce—as it seeks to reduce costs and reshape staffing without another round of involuntary layoffs. The offer covers eligible workers at vice-president level and below in the United States, Canada, India and the United Kingdom, though some teams and functions are excluded. Packages are expected to resemble standard severance, and eligible employees have until early December to decide, with departures planned for year-end. The program follows earlier workforce reductions and a voluntary retirement offer, as Microsoft invests heavily in AI and data-center infrastructure.