Microsoft is laying off as many as 9,000 employees

Microsoft confirmed that it’s laying disconnected arsenic galore arsenic 9,100 employees, oregon astir 4 percent of its workforce, successful yet different circular of cuts this year, reports the Seattle Times. Employees successful Microsoft’s Xbox division, known arsenic Microsoft Gaming, are being deed hard by these layoffs, though nonstop numbers and divisions are not yet known.

Xbox person Phil Spencer said successful a connection to the squad that “To presumption Gaming for enduring occurrence and let america to absorption connected strategical maturation areas, we volition extremity oregon alteration enactment successful definite areas of the concern and travel Microsoft’s pb successful removing layers of absorption to summation agility and effectiveness.”

Bloomberg reports that the now-Microsoft-owned King part that makes Candy Crush is cutting astir 10 percent of employees, oregon 200 people, portion different European units similar Zenimax person besides confirmed they are cutting jobs.

These large layoffs travel little than 2 months aft Microsoft announced it was cutting much than 6,000 employees, followed by an further 305 reductions in aboriginal June. Microsoft employees person faced a bid of layoffs implicit the past year, including a circular of performance-based cuts that person earnestly deed morale, according to aggregate Microsoft employees I’ve spoken to.

Microsoft laid disconnected 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees successful January 2024, followed by respective crippled studios closures and occupation losses successful May, and 1,000 occupation losses from its HoloLens and Azure unreality teams successful June. Microsoft besides laid disconnected 650 much Xbox employees successful September, arsenic portion of a restructuring related to the company’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

This is the memo that Xbox brag Phil Spencer sent to employees:

Today we are sharing decisions that volition interaction colleagues crossed our organization. To presumption Gaming for enduring occurrence and let america to absorption connected strategical maturation areas, we volition extremity oregon alteration enactment successful definite areas of the concern and travel Microsoft’s pb successful removing layers of absorption to summation agility and effectiveness. Out of respect for those impacted today, the specifics of today’s notifications and immoderate organizational shifts volition beryllium shared by your squad leaders successful the coming days.

I admit that these changes travel astatine a clip erstwhile we person much players, games, and gaming hours than ever before. Our platform, hardware, and crippled roadmap person ne'er looked stronger. The occurrence we’re seeing presently is based connected pugnacious decisions we’ve made previously. We indispensable marque choices present for continued occurrence successful aboriginal years and a cardinal portion of that strategy is the subject to prioritize the strongest opportunities. We volition support what is thriving and ore effort connected areas with the top potential, portion delivering connected the expectations the institution has for our business. This focused attack means we tin present exceptional games and experiences for players for generations to come.

Prioritizing our opportunities is essential, but that does not lessen the value of this moment. Simply put, we would not beryllium wherever we are contiguous without the time, energy, and creativity of those whose roles are impacted. These decisions are not a reflection of the talent, creativity, and dedication of the radical involved. Our momentum is not accidental—it is the effect of years of dedicated effort from our teams.

HR is moving straight with impacted employees to supply severance program benefits (aligned with section laws), including pay, healthcare coverage, and occupation placement resources to enactment their transition. Employees whose roles were eliminated are encouraged to research unfastened positions crossed Microsoft Gaming, wherever their applications volition beryllium fixed precedence review.

Thank you to everyone who has shaped our culture, our products, and our community. We volition determination guardant with heavy appreciation and respect for each who person contributed to this journey.

Phil

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