Microsoft unveiled a sweeping voluntary exit offer Monday, giving roughly 60,000 employees a chance to leave the company with support. That figure represents 27% of the software giant’s workforce.
Chief People Officer Amy Coleman announced the program in a memo, confirming eligibility for staff in the United States, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom. Business Insider first reported the news.
The offer covers workers at “Level 70” and below, a bracket that includes senior management roles. Coleman’s memo did not specify compensation details, saying only that eligible employees would receive specifics within hours of the announcement.
“This offer gives eligible employees who may be considering a future outside the company a new choice to create that transition now with support,” Coleman wrote. She framed the program as a way for teams to reshape their workforce while adapting to shifting business requirements.
The buyout differs from an earlier voluntary retirement plan Microsoft rolled out in April. That initiative targeted employees whose combined age and tenure reached 70 years or more, making about 7% of U.S. staff eligible. Roughly 30% of those who qualified accepted the package, according to GeekWire.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has continued trimming its ranks through targeted cuts. Over the summer, the company eliminated about 4,800 positions in its Xbox division. Last year brought two larger rounds of layoffs: 9,000 jobs cut in July and another 6,000 in May. CEO Satya Nadella pointed to the rapid shifts driven by artificial intelligence as the reason behind those reductions.
“Getting both the product and platform fight for the AI wave is our North Star,” Nadella wrote in a July 2025 staff memo.
The Redmond, Washington-based company operates Bay Area offices in San Francisco, Berkeley, and Mountain View. Microsoft did not answer questions about how many local employees would qualify for the buyout or whether additional layoffs might follow.
