Microsoft offers buyouts to 60,000 workers as Xbox cuts continue
Microsoft has introduced a voluntary exit offer for eligible staff in four countries as Xbox continues to work through a wider round of cuts.
Microsoft has introduced a new Voluntary Exit Offer for eligible employees in participating teams across Canada, India, the United Kingdom and the United States. The programme gives staff a supported route to leave the company, but it arrives while Xbox is still working through a much wider series of cuts. 1
The official Microsoft announcement says the offer is limited to participating organisations and employees at level 70 and below. Eligible staff are due to receive an email with their individual details, and the company stresses that not every team is included. 1
Reports cited by Rock Paper Shotgun put the potential reach at around 60,000 employees — roughly a quarter of Microsoft's workforce — although the official memo does not publish that total. A previous voluntary retirement programme reportedly reached 9,000 staff, with about a third accepting the offer. 2
The move matters to Xbox because Microsoft's gaming division has already been through multiple rounds of layoffs. Xbox executive Matt Booty previously said the division was roughly three-quarters of the way through plans affecting 3,200 staff, while further cuts have been reported for this month, November and January. 2
What this means for Xbox
Microsoft's memo describes the offer as a way to give participating teams more flexibility while the company reshapes its workforce. It does not say whether Xbox employees are included, so the programme should not be treated as confirmation of another specific Xbox headcount reduction. 1
Our opinion
The important distinction is between a company-wide voluntary programme and a confirmed new Xbox layoff round. The former is official; the latter remains a reported possibility. Either way, the timing makes clear that Microsoft's workforce reset is not finished, and Xbox staff have little reason to assume the earlier cuts were the last.
Photo credit: Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels. 3