Microsoft opens voluntary buyout offer to about 60,000 staff

Microsoft has extended a voluntary exit package to roughly 60,000 workers, a group the company's own framing puts at about a quarter of its headcount, as it looks to reshape its workforce while funding a very large AI build-out. Eligibility is limited to staff at vice president level or below on selected teams in the United States, Canada, India and the United Kingdom, with some data center, sales and marketing groups excluded. Departing employees would receive terms similar to ordinary severance. Management presents the move as a way to adapt staffing to changing needs; for owners, the open questions are the eventual cost of the program, how many employees accept, and whether lower headcount offsets the roughly $175 billion of calendar 2026 capital spending that has been cited in coverage.

1. Forbes reported on Oct 26, 2026 that Microsoft is offering buyout packages to roughly 60,000 employees, about 27% of its workforce.
2. Forbes tied the move to Microsoft's plan to spend about $175 billion on AI capacity in calendar 2026.
3. Per Benzinga, eligibility requires a selected team role in the U.S., Canada, India or the U.K. at vice president level or below; some data center, sales and marketing staff are excluded.
4. Per Benzinga, departing workers receive terms much like ordinary severance; Chief People Officer Amy Coleman described it in a memo as a way to adapt the workforce to changing needs.
5. Forbes described its story as developing; the financial cost and uptake of the program were not disclosed in the sources reviewed.