Microsoft is offering up to 60,000 employees, about a quarter of its workforce, the chance to leave voluntarily. The company announced the Voluntary Exit Offer on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, in a memo from executive vice president Amy Coleman, reported by Business Insider and Video Games Chronicle.
What the offer includes
- Who: up to 60,000 employees in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and India
- What: a voluntary departure with financial support and career planning resources
- Not disclosed: payment amounts, deadlines or which divisions are eligible
Coleman presented it as giving staff more ways to shape their next chapter and the company more flexibility to adjust its workforce. According to Business Insider, it is a way to shrink the workforce without forced layoffs after heavy spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure.
What about Xbox?
The report does not say whether gaming staff can take the offer. It comes after a hard year for Xbox, with thousands of layoffs, studio closures and sales, and more cuts planned. In the summer, The Information reported that Microsoft had considered turning Xbox into a separate subsidiary that would be easier to sell, but Xbox CEO Asha Sharma told The New York Times on September 30 that the gaming business is not for sale.
Context
In January 2023, Microsoft announced 10,000 layoffs, including staff in its games division. This voluntary offer is much larger in scale, but it depends on how many employees decide to accept it.
This article was written with AI assistance from the sources linked above.
