Microsoft's new exit offer reaches Xbox staff, months after layoffs that hit Xbox hardest.
Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to up to 60,000 employees across the US, UK, Canada and India, according to The Verge. In a message to staff, Microsoft chief people officer Amy Coleman said the offer gives employees “the opportunity to leave Microsoft with financial support and career planning resources.”
Sources told The Verge that Xbox staff are among those eligible, along with teams in Windows + Devices, Copilot, CoreAI, finance and HR. Microsoft says the offer isn’t based on age, length of service or performance, and it may do another one in the future.
This comes just months after Microsoft laid off 4,800 employees, a cut that mainly hit Xbox and commercial sales. The Verge also points to a Fortune report that Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is planning new rounds of layoffs. Microsoft has not said how many Xbox employees will take the offer.
OnPoint’s take: Nobody likes seeing Xbox teams shrink, and our thoughts are with the folks weighing this. But a voluntary exit with money and career help on the table beats another surprise round of layoffs, and that’s a better way to treat people. What matters for players is that the studios keep shipping, and that’s what we’ll be watching.
Sources
- The Verge: Microsoft offers buyouts to 60,000 employees
- Tom Warren on X: post
Image: OnPoint 4 Gamers (Microsoft and Xbox logos)
