Catenaa, Monday, October 26, 2026- Microsoft is offering a voluntary buyout to about 60,000 employees as it reorganizes itself for the AI era.
“The Voluntary Exit Offer reflects an important part of how we’re evolving our approach to change: creating greater flexibility and, where possible, more ways for employees to shape their next chapter,” Amy Coleman, Microsoft’s Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, wrote in a memo to employees.
The memo said that the offer will be available to eligible employees in participating teams in Canada, India, the United Kingdom and the United States at level 70 and below.
Microsoft said the offer is a time-limited, voluntary program that gives eligible employees the opportunity to leave Microsoft with financial support and career-planning resources.
“Some organizations are providing the Voluntary Exit Offer, and some are not. Participation varies based on each business’s priorities, customer commitments and workforce needs,” the memo said.
According to TeleCrunch, Microsoft offered buyouts to retirement-age employees earlier this year, and more than 30% of roughly 8,750 eligible workers accepted.
The announcement follows Microsoft’s first voluntary retirement program, which it announced in May, according to Yahoo Finance. The retirement packages offered ranged from eight to 39 weeks of base pay, depending on employees’ positions and tenure.
Yahoo Finance reported that Microsoft plans to spend $190 billion on capital expenditures in 2026, largely tied to its artificial intelligence investments.
According to Yahoo Finance, investors will be watching Microsoft’s earnings report on Wednesday as the tech giant updates its capital expenditure plans and Azure cloud growth.
Microsoft shares closed at a record $543.45 on October 13. The stock traded around $530 ahead of its latest earnings announcement, about 2.5% below that level.
Microsoft reported a 22% increase in adjusted earnings per share for fiscal 2026, supported by continued growth across its cloud and software operations.
