Microsoft Offers Voluntary Buyouts to 60,000 Staff as AI Spending Soars

Microsoft has offered voluntary buyouts to around 60,000 employees — about 27 percent of its 223,000-strong global workforce — in one of the largest workforce moves in the company's history. Chief People Officer Amy Coleman announced the Voluntary Exit Offer in an internal memo on October 26, open to staff at level 70 and below, up to vice president, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and India. Importantly, nobody is being forced out: eligible staff choose whether to take the offer.

The offer covers teams including Windows, Copilot, Xbox and finance, while data centre, sales and marketing staff are largely left out, according to reports. The package mirrors Microsoft's standard severance, with at least 60 days of base salary while still employed plus extra pay based on position and tenure. Employees must decide by early December, and those who accept will leave by December 31, subject to final approval — though Microsoft plans to persuade key talent to stay.

Press reports link the move to the soaring cost of Microsoft's artificial intelligence build-out, with capital spending planned at around $175 billion this year. The offer follows a year of heavy job cuts across big tech, but its voluntary design sets it apart: rather than naming who must go, Microsoft is asking tens of thousands of staff to decide for themselves whether their future lies inside or outside the company.

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