Microsoft offers voluntary buyouts to 60,000 employees amid AI workforce shift

The current offer, which includes cash, accelerated stock vesting, and subsidized health coverage, is similar to standard severance but targets a far broader group. If just 5% accept, that would still eliminate 3,000 jobs. Microsoft has not disclosed acceptance rates for the earlier retirement offer, where over 30% of eligible employees opted in. The company’s restructuring aligns with its AI push, where Nadella has emphasized increasing GPU per researcher while reducing overall headcount costs. Critics inside and outside Microsoft argue the company’s siloed organizational structure may hinder its ability to adapt efficiently to AI-driven changes.