United States technology giant Microsoft has offered voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 employees, representing more than a quarter of its global workforce, as it seeks to reduce costs and finance its growing investments in artificial intelligence.
The programme covers eligible employees across several departments, including AI experiences, Copilot, finance, human resources, Xbox and Windows + Devices.
However, marketing, commercial business and security teams will be excluded, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Microsoft Chief People Officer Amy Coleman said the initiative would provide employees considering leaving the company with an opportunity to do so with support.
“This offer gives eligible employees who may be considering a future outside the company a new choice to make that transition now with support. It also gives participating organizations another way to adapt their workforce to changing needs,” she said in a staff memo.
The move comes as Microsoft and other major technology companies commit hundreds of billions of dollars to developing AI infrastructure, including data centres and chips.
The scale of the spending has raised questions among investors about whether the investments will generate sufficient returns.
Microsoft has projected $175bn in capital expenditure for the 2026 calendar year.
The company, which had 223,000 full-time employees worldwide as of June 30, is expected to release its first-quarter financial results after the close of trading on Wednesday.
The latest offer follows an earlier voluntary buyout programme introduced this year for approximately seven per cent of Microsoft’s US workforce, equivalent to about 9,000 employees.
In July, the company also announced plans to cut 4,800 jobs, representing roughly 2.1 per cent of its global workforce, as part of efforts to restructure its Xbox gaming division and improve returns after years of substantial investment.
Microsoft said the new programme would be available to eligible employees at level 70 and below in participating teams in Canada, India, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The company described the initiative as a time-limited, voluntary programme developed using lessons from an earlier voluntary retirement scheme.
It added that eligible staff would receive further details within hours of the announcement.
