Microsoft offers voluntary buyouts to ~60,000 employees across US, Canada, India and UK
mkheck · x · 2026-10-27
According to a company memo obtained by Business Insider, Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 employees in the US, Canada, India and the UK. Those who accept leave at year-end with terms similar to its standard severance—up to 39 weeks of base pay in earlier layoffs. This follows a retirement buyout offered to 9,000 employees earlier in 2026.
The analysis: buyouts let a company shrink without layoff headlines; the memo frames it as giving employees 'more ways to shape their next chapter.' Microsoft keeps spending heavily on AI data centers, and payroll is the fastest cost to cut. American Express cut 5% of staff last week citing the need to 'prepare for AI'—the same rationale keeps surfacing whenever companies trim headcount.
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