New workforce adjustments among big tech companies. Microsoft plans its first voluntary early retirement plan for its US employees in its 51-year history, according to CNBC on Thursday.
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In this case, 7% of the US workforce will be able to join this program, according to Bloomberg. The company had 125,000 employees in the United States as of June 2025, which implies that around 8,750 workers could join the program.
The offer was announced to employees on Thursday, according to a memo accessed by Bloomberg. Eligible workers include those whose years of service plus their age total 70 or more, excluding some management positions or those with sales incentive plans, according to the memo from Human Resources Director Amy Coleman.
“We hope this program provides those eligible with the option to take that step on their own terms, with the generous support of the company,” Coleman wrote in the memo.
Generally speaking, big tech companies have been looking for ways to cut their expenses while investing billions in building the necessary infrastructure for their artificial intelligence services.
Microsoft is competing to build data centers worldwide. In fact, capital expenditure (capex) for this fiscal year could amount to 117.00 billion dollars, 40% more than in the previous year. This same Thursday, the company led by Satya Nadella announced an investment of 15 billion euros until 2029 in Australia to expand its AI infrastructure.
Microsoft shares fell this Thursday, at times, more than 4%, in a new stock market storm affecting companies in the software industry, as a consequence of the threat of new AI solutions.
The Redmond giant has implemented massive layoffs that have occurred in different rounds since early 2023. It is not the only tech company to implement tough restructurings, largely justified by the implementation of new artificial intelligence (AI) solutions.
Thus, other companies that are heavily investing in AI infrastructure, such as Oracle and Meta Platforms, have made drastic cuts to their workforce in recent months. Companies like Snap, Block, Salesforce, Pinterest, Amazon, Autodesk, and Atlassian have also implemented tough adjustments.
The specialized firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas estimates that there were more than 50,000 layoffs in the tech industry during the first quarter, and anticipates more workforce adjustments in 2026.
