●● IRC: #techbytes @ Techrights IRC Network: Thursday, October 29, 2026 ●● ● Oct 29 [01:00] *Queen21F has quit (connection closed) [01:01] *Queen21F (~assistant@cehh8dd4kxj4i.irc) has joined #techbytes ● Oct 29 [02:49] *Queen21F has quit (connection closed) [02:50] *Honey21F (~assistant@cehh8dd4kxj4i.irc) has joined #techbytes ● Oct 29 [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1m60b6gfw [03:03] -TechBytesBot/#techbytes- ( status 403 @ https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1m60b6gfw ) [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] " [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] Doesnt include other key points: [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] COBRA for 18 months with 6 months subsidized [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] cannot work for any Microsoft owned company for 2 years if accepted [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] if accepted cannot leave before the 31st [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] none of the terms are negotiable [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] 6 hours ago by Anonymous [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] | 1 reaction (+1/-0) | Reply [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] Post ID: @d2+1m60b6gfw [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] +2 [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] OP, nice summary. A lot of people seem to think that corporate cuts are so they can invest more in AI. One thing that most comments seem to exclude is what if it is not for AI spending? What if the company is foreseeing a major economic downturn and is cutting their most expensive liability in advance. Layoffs are happening everywhere. If you got an offer letter for the buyout than you have already been identified as someone they c [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] an cut without impacting the company. I wouldn't take that lightly. [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] 10 hours ago by Anonymous [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] | 2 reactions (+2/-0) | Reply [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] Post ID: @ca+1m60b6gfw [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] +1 [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] What happens if too few employees accept the buyout? [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] 20 hours ago by Anonymous [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] | 1 reaction (+1/-0) | Reply [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] Post ID: @ad+1m60b6gfw [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] +5 [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] What level of corporate mega-fu-kery have we reached when a company spending $190 B on data centers offers to pay a quarter of its workforce to leave? [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] 60K eligible for buyouts. Thats 27% of the company. [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] Last May, Microsoft cut 6K. In July, another 9K. I was one of them. [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] Earlier this year, MSFT offered early retirement to employees in their 40s, and 30% accepted. Then it cut another 4,800 jobs. [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] Part of me laughed when I heard the news. Of course they did. But another part of me went, holy fu-k. [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] If one of the worlds most valuable companies is investing billions in its AI future while making tens of thousands of employees question whether they still have a place there, something is seriously wrong. [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] Before I left Microsoft, I was mentoring an early-career engineer who had once considered working there a dream job. Eventually, their attitude shifted to, No thanks. Im not interested. [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] Now employees at both ends of the career ladder seem to be asking the same question: Is staying at Microsoft even worth it anymore? [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] And for those who received a buyout offer today, the decision is no longer theoretical. Its a choice between walking away with a package or staying at a company where the next round of cuts may be just around the corner. [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] " [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1m62df9ec [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] " [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] Just Ship Those Jobs Overseas [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] Here's what really bothers me about corporate America. These companies want Americans to buy their products, pay for their services, and keep their revenues growing, but they're increasingly shipping the jobs overseas. They want us as consumers, just not as employees. They extract wealth from the American economy while moving more of the wages and economic activity that wealth generates somewhere else. [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] Think about what that does over time. Every decent-paying job moved overseas means less money circulating in American communities. That's money that would have been spent at local businesses, restaurants, stores, and on housing. That's economic activity that would have generated tax revenue to support schools, roads, and infrastructure. Instead, more of the gains flow to shareholders, and a disproportionate share of those gains goe [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] s to a relatively small group of wealthy investors. [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] And these people aren't even taxed the same way workers are. Someone working 50 hours a week pays taxes on their wages, while someone sitting on millions in appreciating stock can accumulate enormous wealth without paying taxes on those unrealized gains. We've created something resembling a modern rentier class, where owning assets is increasingly more rewarding than actually working. [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] Meanwhile, the stock market keeps reaching new highs, but wages aren't keeping pace. Investment wealth can grow several times faster than workers' earnings, and the gap compounds year after year. The people who already own assets get richer, while the people whose labor keeps these companies running fall further behind. [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] Then add housing and food inflation. Workers are getting squeezed from every direction. Even when their wages increase, their disposable income barely moves. For young people, it's particularly brutal. In some markets, saving for a down payment can take something like 16 years instead of eight a generation ago. How are they supposed to become independent, buy a home, start a family, or build wealth when the entry point keeps moving [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] further away? [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] Homeownership has historically been one of the main ways ordinary Americans accumulate wealth. Now we're making it increasingly inaccessible while rewarding those who already own property and financial assets. [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] And here's the part that really gets me: corporations still depend on a functioning American middle class to buy their products. But they're systematically weakening the very people they depend on. You cannot keep extracting purchasing power from a society while eliminating the jobs and wages that create that purchasing power in the first place. [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] This isn't sustainable. Eventually, you end up with a country full of consumers who can't afford to consume, workers who can't build wealth, and a small ownership class accumulating an ever-larger share of everything. [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] We're not building a prosperous society anymore. We're building an economy that works brilliantly for people who already own things and increasingly poorly for everyone who has to work for a living. [03:03] schestowitz[TR2] " [03:04] -TechBytesBot/#techbytes- ( status 403 @ https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1m62df9ec ) [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] " [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] OP People owning assets getting richer is nothing new. This is how investing works and always has. [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] If you want to fix the inequity fix the tax rules. The IRS laws need an overhaul. Make all forms of income equal. Get ride of capital gains rates. Get rid of write offs and deductions. Make the tax form a one page document for everyone. How much did you earn. Calculate the tax owed and subtract much tax have you already paid. If the answer is positive this is how much you owe and if it is negative this is your return. Simple... [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] For corporations make investments overseas taxed at 500%. For every dollar they spend moving resources off shore will cost them five dollars. Make this an annual tax until they bring the work back onshore. Get rid of tax breaks and incentives. [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] Hold shareholders accountable for corporate decisions. When companies like Meta get sued and lose make shareholders return profits for the years that were covered by the lawsuit. Right now there is no risk for investing in companies with questionable morals. [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] Jail the CEOs and boards of companies who abuse foreign worker laws. [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] 2 hours ago by Anonymous [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] | 1 reaction (+1/-0) | Reply [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] Post ID: @a8+1m62df9ec [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] 0 [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] @a4 Wow that is one long sentence. Do you take breathes when you talk? [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] "America needs to stop having a soft spot especially Trump for power grab hes honestly defeating his own purpose with childish charades he needs to kick open foreign doors and show them they are not above American Dream and shouldnt live here if they make a life of fantasies because George Washington wouldnt want Columbus to claim the globe empire that Trump should only own and live up to instead of a shredded cheese const [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] itutional piece of paper that couldnt even spell his name on it! " [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] 2 hours ago by Anonymous [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] | no reactions | Reply [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] Post ID: @a5+1m62df9ec [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] 0 [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] America needs to stop having a soft spot especially Trump for power grab hes honestly defeating his own purpose with childish charades he needs to kick open foreign doors and show them they are not above American Dream and shouldnt live here if they make a life of fantasies because George Washington wouldnt want Columbus to claim the globe empire that Trump should only own and live up to instead of a shredded cheese consti [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] tutional piece of paper that couldnt even spell his name on it! Trump should kick out all politicians and put them in their places! [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] ' [03:04] schestowitz[TR2] " [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1m609n0v8 [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] " [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] Fire lazy lousy americans. They want salary for doing nothing. [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] 19 minutes ago by Anonymous [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] | no reactions | Reply [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] Post ID: @eb+1m609n0v8 [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] 0 [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] @aa [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] Remember what JD said "indentured servants" taken advantage by H1B employer. [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] 1 hour ago by Anonymous [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] | no reactions | Reply [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] Post ID: @e3+1m609n0v8 [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] +2 [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] If too few people step forward, target the toxic culture vultures, people managers who are just glorified admins who know nothing else, the worst communicators: or-l and written, (i received an email from a senior person that had 43 grammatical errors, shocking and i can take his name), high salaried middle managers, people who work virtually and have second and third jobs. [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] 9 hours ago by Anonymous [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] | 2 reactions (+2/-0) | Reply [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] Post ID: @ck+1m609n0v8 [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] 0 [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] Maybe Satya is on H1 B [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] 9 hours ago by Anonymous [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] | 2 reactions (+1/-1) | Reply [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] Post ID: @cj+1m609n0v8 [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] +7 [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] I agree temporary workers should be laid off first. [03:05] schestowitz[TR2] " [03:06] -TechBytesBot/#techbytes- ( status 403 @ https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1m609n0v8 ) [03:06] *Honey21F has quit (connection closed) [03:06] schestowitz[TR2] https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1m60j4acn#replies [03:07] -TechBytesBot/#techbytes- ( status 403 @ https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1m60j4acn#replies ) [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] " [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] They deliberately sent this to 60K employees, knowing they might only need 10K to accept (we don't know the actual target). Now all 60K are nervous, and thousands will start looking elsewhere, even if they don't leave for another six months. That's the point. MSFT is signaling that it can operate without them, and anyone paying attention should take the hint. [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] The smart move may be to take the money and run, which plenty will try to do. But there likely won't be enough spots, and MSFT will now know who's willing to jump ship. Those employees could be first in line when involuntary layoffs inevitably follow. [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] If I were betting, I'd put money on 10K voluntary and another 10K involuntary cuts before April 1, 2027. No insider information, just my interpretation of what's happening. It resembles previous layoff waves and makes the most sense to me. Good luck everyone, and be smart about your next move. [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] 3 hours ago by Anonymous [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] | 1 reaction (+1/-0) | Reply [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] Post ID: @d7+1m60j4acn [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] +2 [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] @a1 [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] Critical employees don't receive the buyout offer email. [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] 4 hours ago by Anonymous [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] | 2 reactions (+2/-0) | Reply [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] Post ID: @d3+1m60j4acn [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] +4 [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] "What happens if too few employees accept the buyout?" - It means there will be "involuntary" layoffs. [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] Intel did the same in 2023, 2024. And in 2025, 2026 they stopped doing it and just went straight ahead with layoffs. [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] 18 hours ago by Anonymous [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] | 4 reactions (+4/-0) | Reply [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] Post ID: @ac+1m60j4acn [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] +3 [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] Or you can assume that people with outside offers may be best positioned to leave. How would the company avoid losing critical experience while retaining employees who feel unable to move? [03:07] schestowitz[TR2] " [03:07] *Honey21F (~assistant@cehh8dd4kxj4i.irc) has joined #techbytes [03:21] *Honey21F has quit (connection closed) [03:22] *Sweety21F (~assistant@cehh8dd4kxj4i.irc) has joined #techbytes ● Oct 29 [07:24] *Sweety21F has quit (connection closed) [07:25] *Princ3ss21F (~assistant@cehh8dd4kxj4i.irc) has joined #techbytes [07:34] schestowitz[TR2] had an odd issue... for some reason my chat program was set to using tor..it disconnected and kept reconnecting, or trying to via tor. [07:34] schestowitz[TR2] odd [07:34] schestowitz[TR2] * [admfubar] is away (Away) [07:34] schestowitz[TR2] we changed nothing ● Oct 29 [08:12] *Princ3ss21F has quit (connection closed) [08:13] *Princ3ss21F (~assistant@cehh8dd4kxj4i.irc) has joined #techbytes ● Oct 29 [10:24] *x-amarsh04 has quit (Quit: Konversation terminated!) [10:25] *x-amarsh04 (~amarsh04@6mnab3uw5dgtk.irc) has joined #techbytes ● Oct 29 [13:39] *Princ3ss21F has quit (connection closed) [13:41] *Princ3ss21F (~assistant@cehh8dd4kxj4i.irc) has joined #techbytes ● Oct 29 [15:12] *Princ3ss21F has quit (connection closed) [15:14] *Princ3ss21F (~assistant@cehh8dd4kxj4i.irc) has joined #techbytes ● Oct 29 [16:14] *psydruid (~psydruid@jevhxkzmtrbww.irc) has left #techbytes [16:25] *Princ3ss21F has quit (connection closed) [16:26] *Princ3ss21F (~assistant@cehh8dd4kxj4i.irc) has joined #techbytes [16:30] *Princ3ss21F has quit (connection closed) [16:31] *Princ3ss21F (~assistant@cehh8dd4kxj4i.irc) has joined #techbytes [16:46] *psydruid (~psydruid@jevhxkzmtrbww.irc) has joined #techbytes ● Oct 29 [18:41] *psydruid (~psydruid@jevhxkzmtrbww.irc) has left #techbytes ● Oct 29 [19:04] *psydruid (~psydruid@jevhxkzmtrbww.irc) has joined #techbytes ● Oct 29 [20:22] *Princ3ss21F has quit (Ping timeout: 2m30s) [20:40] *Princ3ss21F (~assistant@cehh8dd4kxj4i.irc) has joined #techbytes ● Oct 29 [21:16] schestowitz[TR2] Have a great day! [21:16] schestowitz[TR2] -- [21:16] schestowitz[TR2] xxxx from xxxx. [21:16] schestowitz[TR2] Reply directly to this email, or go to chat. [21:16] schestowitz[TR2] On Thu, 29 Oct 2026 08:17:53 GMT visitor893521 wrote: [21:16] schestowitz[TR2] thank you so much, I will check for culprits now [21:16] schestowitz[TR2] On Thu, 29 Oct 2026 08:03:27 GMT visitor893521 wrote: [21:16] schestowitz[TR2] ty, great response time [21:16] schestowitz[TR2] On Thu, 29 Oct 2026 08:02:57 GMT visitor893521 wrote: [21:16] schestowitz[TR2] critical time [21:16] schestowitz[TR2] On Thu, 29 Oct 2026 08:02:51 GMT visitor893521 wrote: [21:16] schestowitz[TR2] ty, if we can undo the block first [21:16] schestowitz[TR2] On Thu, 29 Oct 2026 08:01:58 GMT visitor893521 wrote: [21:16] schestowitz[TR2] roy@ [21:32] *psydruid (~psydruid@jevhxkzmtrbww.irc) has left #techbytes (Error from remote client) [21:50] *Princ3ss21F has quit (connection closed) [21:51] *Princ3ss21F (~assistant@cehh8dd4kxj4i.irc) has joined #techbytes ● Oct 29 [22:01] *psydruid (~psydruid@jevhxkzmtrbww.irc) has joined #techbytes [22:27] *parsifal has quit (connection closed) [22:27] *parsifal (~parsifal@8trubnhfec9ms.irc) has joined #techbytes [22:29] *parsifal has quit (Quit: Leaving) [22:30] *parsifal (~parsifal@8trubnhfec9ms.irc) has joined #techbytes