Microsoft is offering voluntary exit to employees.
In a memo, EVP chief people officer Amy Coleman announced the time-limited Voluntary Exit Offer (VEO) is open to “eligible staff in participating teams” in the US, UK, Canada, and India at level 70 and below.
The Verge reports that up to 60,000 employees could be eligible, and sources familiar with the situation say staff in numerous teams are eligible, including “AI experiences, Copilot, CoreAI, Windows + Devices, Xbox, finance, and human resources.”
Microsoft’s cloud + AI, MicrosoftAI teams, and corporate, external, and legal affairs are “partially participating,” the sources say.
“The Voluntary Exit Offer is new for us,” Coleman wrote. “We’ll learn from it. At the same time, we’ll keep helping people focus on the work that matters most, build new skills and, where it makes sense, find new opportunities across Microsoft. There is no one-size-fits-all approach for every team or every employee.
“These are a few of the ways we’re trying to meet different business needs while continuing to create opportunities for our own people to grow and contribute.”
Coleman added: “The Voluntary Exit Offer reflects an important part of how we’re evolving our approach to change: creating greater flexibility and, where possible, more ways for employees to shape their next chapter. This builds on what we learned earlier this year through the Voluntary Retirement Program.”
The voluntary retirement offer made earlier this year was limited to around 9000 US employees whose age and years of service added up to at least 70.
The offer follows layoffs in July and September, mostly across Xbox and commercial sales. Further layoffs are also allegedly planned.