Bonum Certa Men Certa

Microsoft in 2023: Rounds of Layoffs Every Month (Yes, Another One Just Before the Weekend!)

Summary: Not much of "the news" mentioned this (unlike all that HI Hey/AI sponsored nonsense), but days ago Microsoft admitted another major round of layoffs

YESTERDAY we rushed to mention GitHub layoffs and resumed a series that began in 2021. Remember that GitHub and Xbox, like many other Microsoft operations, aren't profitable. The longer they go on for, the more Microsoft loses. Size does not beget profit. It can multiply burden and increase the magnitude of losses.



"Just under a week after Microsoft was blasting money on Bing vapourware (while laying off Bing staff!) we learn that there's another round of layoffs..."Rumours we saw back in January said that in July of this year there would be much bigger rounds of layoffs. What we certainly did not expect is 2 months, 2 rounds of layoffs. But that's just what happened. Just under a week after Microsoft was blasting money on Bing vapourware (while laying off Bing staff!) we learn that there's another round of layoffs in a core part of Microsoft, near the 'homebase':



Microsoft boosters/moles inside the media are going to downplay this (they always do, it is their role):



Not even they can totally ignore or refute the internal report/s (distress calls from staff). Just a day after Ian Fried's puff pieces (calling Microsoft "cool" because of vapourware) we're back to talking about Microsoft's crisis, not all the mindless hype -- the paid-for media extravaganza. To quote one Microsoft mole (Bass): "At the Xbox gaming unit, reductions came in marketing and the Xbox Gaming Ecosystem Group, one of the people said. Xbox Chief Phil Spencer emailed employees Thursday to let them know about the cuts without detailing what parts of his business were impacted. “I encourage everyone to take the time and space necessary to process these changes and support your colleagues,” Spencer wrote in the email, which was seen by Bloomberg."

"Notice that this happened around the end of the week when journalists are walking away until Monday and Tuesday..."There are even more strategic areas affected, without all the typical excuses and hand-waving. "They're cutting into the XBOX marketing division," Ryan said in IRC, but it seems like they still try to hide Azure layoffs, which have gone on for years. Azure is failing really badly!

Not only do these reports rely on leaked material; they aren't deniable. Microsoft tried to hide this as it breaks their "HEY HI" media streak/news cycle.

Notice that this happened around the end of the week when journalists are walking away until Monday and Tuesday (some editors work only twice a week now, due to budget constraints).

"One might joke that maybe they passed a bribe to the media for "GPT" hype around the same time of the layoffs happening, if not to distract from the layoffs, then to lower the incentive to mention these."With Microsoft layoffs almost every month since this past October (never mind last summer's waves), it's going to be hard to keep track of which layoffs belong to which "wave". It's undeniable that Microsoft has difficulties; its main product, Windows, is rapidly losing market share.

So far not much media coverage about this can be found. At least so far. Microsoft money at work? One might joke that maybe they passed a bribe to the media for "GPT" hype around the same time of the layoffs happening, if not to distract from the layoffs, then to lower the incentive to mention these.

Recent Techrights' Posts

European Patent Office (EPO) Series: Czech Mate: EPO Kingmaker or Merely a Pawn in the Game?
recent "missions" of the EPO President
SLAPP Censorship - Part 131 Out of 200: A Big Win for the Media in the United Kingdom (UK) Today
In a democratic society the Right to Know, which is closely connected to freedom of the press (or what one might label "blogging" or "blag"), comes above all else, except where there are lives being put at risk
IBM's Fedora Plans to Integrate Slop Into "Fedora Workstation as a Default Feature."
IBM does not care whether the community wants this or not
The Media Talks a Lot About XBox Layoffs, a Closer Look at the Data Shows Microsoft 'Bloodbath'
'Bloodbath' is the term insiders use
 
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, July 07, 2026
IRC logs for Tuesday, July 07, 2026
Links 07/07/2026: Microsoft Cuts Doom "id Software" and Turkey Detains Journalists
Links for the day
Gemini Links 07/07/2026: Old Computer Challenge (OCC) and Hardware Tests
Links for the day
A Break From the Routine
What matters is what whistleblowers keep feeding information to us
SLAPP Censorship - Part 132 Out of 200: When You Cannot Pay a Million Pounds (1,335,520.00 United States Dollar) to Lawyers But Have a Strong Community
Techrights compensates for its fiscal poverty with a wealth of community spirit
Fame is Not the Goal
"Fame" kills
Mental Health in Free Software Communities
clearly there is a subject that merits debate and it ought not be a taboo anymore
The Era of Sponsored Spam
There is no "era of AI", there is era of BRIBES to PRETEND there is an "era of AI"
Gemini Links 07/07/2026: Cleaning, Old Computer, and More
Links for the day
Links 07/07/2026: Le Monde Combats LLM Slop Plagiarism, "ACLU Launches Largest Ever Midterm Electoral Program"
Links for the day
Extremism in the Free Software World is Mostly a Myth
Only the firm belief that justice applies to all will produce a just society
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, July 06, 2026
IRC logs for Monday, July 06, 2026
Links 07/07/2026: Kernelized Secure Operating System (KSOS) and "Exploiting Thoughtcrime in LLMs"
Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 130 Out of 200: Jealousy, Envy, Hubris
This site is primarily about Free software
Gemini Links 06/07/2026: Still Mostly Dry, GoToSocial, and More
Links for the day
European Patent Office (EPO) Series: Effective Dispute Resolution… But Not For EPO Staff
Slovenia fielded one of the few Administrative Council delegations which managed to maintain its own independent line against the tyrannical EPOnian "Sun King"
Community Sites Need Genuine Collaboration and True Autonomy
People who want to communicate, federate and organise for effective change need to evolve
Free Software Foundation (FSF) Covers Quibble, Free Software for Secure Communications, in the FSF Summer Bulletin
The Georgia Tech folks are bringing Free software education and contributions to one of the better known Computer Science hubs in the US
Microsoft Layoffs Include Windows, Bing, Slop (CoPilot etc.) and There Will More More Rounds (or Waves) to Come
"43% of Xbox laid off"
Obscene Contradiction in Microsoft's Layoffs Tally ("Official" Numbers Do Not Add Up)
Notice how they treat "LinkedIn" as separate
Preserving Comments About the Real IBM Before They Get Deleted
IBM in the 1980s is not what it is right now
Cybershow on "Escaping Prisons For Your Mind"
"THE CYBER SHOW: Stealing technofascism's boots, and stomping on its own face with them."
Links 06/07/2026: At Least 20% Staff Reduction in XBox (Microsoft), Taiwan Sees Uptick in Chinese Aggression/Provocation, Senator Rodante Marcoleta Arrested
Links for the day
Confirmed: Microsoft Layoffs Come in Two Waves, Just Like Last Summer
To us, what stands out is the admission from Microsoft that there are two (or more) waves
In Praise of the UK's Stance on Free Speech (but Some Reservations)
At the moment there is a healthy discussion going on with the objective of disrupting attacks on British press
Exposing Corruption at the European Patent Office (EPO), a Call for More Whistleblowers
We predict that, provided enough whistleblowers speak out, António "the unready" won't even finish his current term
Leaving Our Pets for Several Days
This week our pets will be worried that "mommy and daddy" are away
Dating Trees and Dating 'Apps'
several high-profile stories in the news about scandals in "dating apps"
DW Documentary About Julian Assange Turns 2
It was released just days after Assange had turned 53 and about two weeks after he had left the UK
Independent Media is the Only Form of Legitimate Media
Independent media is, indeed, what we need to demand more of
The Story of the European Patent Office (EPO) Wagging the Dog (EU)
The aim of the series is to properly inform the world - not just Europeans - how Europe's second-largest institution is run [...] How did a corporate hub of monopolies become so detached from the Rule of Law?
GNU/Linux Up to New High in Libya, Windows Down to All-Time Low
GNU/Linux touches 5% there, based on statCounter
Links 06/07/2026: Artists Reject Slop (or Even de Facto Bribes to Market/Endorse Slop)
Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 129 Out of 200: Iranian Tactics
Hunger for revenge compels people to do overzealous, irrational things
Quiet Week
Many in the US are still enjoying an extended weekend
The Media Needs to Speak of Slop as a Climate Issue Like It Did With Bitcoin
But the slop industry keeps paying the media to play along with the hype
IBM's Fall
IBM's fate is closely connected to that of the Free software movement because of the salaries
Social Dialogue at the European Patent Office (EPO) is Dead, the Strikes and Work Stoppage-Like Actions Carry on
What next for the EPO?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, July 05, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, July 05, 2026
Links 05/07/2026: Shadows of the Upper Peninsula and 2026 Old Computer Challenge
Links for the day