Microsoft offers buyouts to 60,000 staff amid AI spending surge
What's next: Eligible workers must decide in early December, with departures set for Dec. 31 as Microsoft reports earnings this week.
Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to a broad group of employees in the United States, Canada, India and the United Kingdom, with about 60,000 workers eligible under the program. The move comes as the company tries to contain costs while sharply increasing spending on data centers and other infrastructure to meet AI demand. Microsoft said in July that September-quarter capital expenditures should top $50 billion, up from $34.9 billion a year earlier. The new offer applies to workers at experience level 70 or below, reaching as high as vice president. Some marketing, sales and engineering teams are not participating. Employees who accept must decide in early December and would leave on Dec. 31.