The Rumours Were Likely True: Sixth Wave of Microsoft Mass Layoffs in 2025 (Days After "50" Anniversary and About 5,000 Layoffs)
Less than a day ago: Nearly 5,000 Microsoft Layoffs Disclosed on Week of Microsoft 'Anniversary' (Media Noise), The HR Digest Says More Layoffs Coming
5 hours ago, by Ashley Stewart:
What a way to party "50"! The rumours that we saw were not baseless. Microsoft is in a tailspin (more so in recent weeks) and it looks like there's another huge round of layoffs coming, the sixth (according to our incomplete tally) in 2025 alone. It has only been about 100 days. It already turns out to be a lot worse than last year.
Business Insider, which is usually spot-on regarding Microsoft layoffs (because it has insiders or inside sources or relations with whistleblowers inside Microsoft), has just reported that "Microsoft mulls more job cuts, this time focused on managers and non-coders, not just low-performers" ("sources say", i.e. someone from the inside proves it with private evidence, having earned trust and shown a good track record, which Business Insider has on these particular issues).
Set aside who's leaking this information to Business Insider (or why).
To quote: "Microsoft is considering another round of job cuts that could come as soon as May, according to people familiar with the matter. Leaders on some Microsoft teams are specifically discussing cuts to middle managers, and how to increase the ratio of coders versus non-coders on projects, the sources told Business Insider. Some Microsoft organizations want to increase their "span of control," or the number of employees who report to each manager, these people said. The sources, who hold senior positions at the company, asked not to be identified discussing sensitive topics that are still in the planning stages. It's unclear how many jobs will be cut, but one of the people said it was a significant portion of their team. A spokesperson for Microsoft declined to comment."
They must have seen documents or examined some internal communications.
Let's wait and see if Microsoft can RE-announce an anniversary once more with more enthusiasm and much "passion" (additional bribed media that rewrites history), at least for chaff's value. We've noticed that in order to distract from 2,000 more layoffs (disclosed this week) Microsoft propaganda sites such as Windows Central instead went with stories like "Microsoft just fired two employees who protested during the tech giant's 50th anniversary". Yes, let's focus on just 2 people (who really caused problems/bad press to their own employer, which they should have known upon joining or applying for a job), not 2,000 people*.
"I don't know much about this company, but I'm more interested in how it will affect other companies (Intel, Adobe, Autodesk etc.)," said psydroid, "and if they will go down just as quickly".
Why would people buy a new PC when the prices rise so sharply? Many will not bother. Why would anyone spend so much money just to move from one Vista to another (with more bugs, bloat, spying, and limitations)?
"I was doing some stuff on a relative's computer last week," psydroid noted, and "he's really reluctant to spend money on new components so he can run Windows 11 [...] but he's also worried about Windows 10 going out of support" (time to replace it with GNU/Linux, but psydroid said "I think it's too late for him to get into GNU/Linux now, him being in his 70s... my parents aren't like that, their first real computer experience was on GNU/Linux").
No doubt GNU/Linux is ruining Microsoft's ability to charge money for its former cash cows [1, 2].
The ultimate goal is not just to get rid of Microsoft but to get people off or away from proprietary claws. They need to grasp digital freedom and "exercise" online liberty.
psydroid explained that "people are fed up with Adobe too, so they may be following in MSFT's footsteps with a bit of a delay... I don't see a way for Adobe to thrive outside MSFT". █
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* As an associate explained, Microsoft is "dumping" a lot of bad news (even belatedly) and is now pretending layoffs are small... it's about 2 people; or "instead trying to use '50' as a smoke screen or other distraction."
Update: There is now another report about it, behind paywall:
Update #2 (a day later): more reports, some might be LLM slop.
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Microsoft wants leaner teams: Middle management layoffs coming in May 2025
Microsoft is reportedly preparing for a fresh wave of layoffs in May 2025, with middle management roles set to be the most affected, as the tech giant seeks to reshape its organisational structure and boost engineering efficiency. The planned job cuts, first reported by Business Insider, are part of a broader strategic move to reduce layers of management and increase the ratio of technical staff to non-technical employees.
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Microsoft may announce fresh job cuts in May as part of restructuring: Report
The proposed cuts may target middle management roles to boost the ratio of engineers to non-technical staff within project teams. The round could target employees ranked lower on the company’s ‘ManageRewards slider’ performance review system.
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Microsoft reportedly eyes layoffs targeting middle managers
Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) is looking to lay off middle managers across the company, according to a report by Business Insider Wednesday.
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“Middle Management” Cuts Coming to Microsoft as Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) Surges
In what seems to be a bit of a theme going around the tech sector lately, Microsoft is poised to cut jobs, again. But this time, the cuts will have a very particular focus that has some eyebrows raised: specifically, the cuts are said to target middle management and the non-coders in the company. If things go as planned, reports note, the cuts may start up in May, which is just about three weeks away.