How Microsoft Hides Massive Layoffs From the Media (as Explained by Microsofters)
Microsoft is collapsing in many areas, not just XBox. Ir's not over. But the media refuses to write about this; it does not even investigate. As someone explained this weekend, the "rewards" are not exactly rewarding:
Has anyone else at Microsoft seen this happening during the current rewards cycle?
There seems to be a pattern emerging at Microsoft where some employees are going into their annual rewards discussions and finding out they are being terminated. Several employees have reported that people receiving zero or very low rewards are being exited, sometimes immediately. What is strange is that the treatment does not appear consistent. Some people say they were offered a PIP or a voluntary separation package, while others say they were terminated with no PIP option and little or no severance.
The reports do not appear to be limited to one team. People have mentioned engineering, CSS and parts of the Xbox organization.
It is difficult to tell how large this is because these appear to be smaller or individual terminations rather than one announced layoff event. That may also explain why there has been relatively little public reporting.
Has anyone else at Microsoft seen this happening during the current rewards cycle? Are these isolated performance exits, or is Microsoft using the rewards process for a broader headcount reduction?
The sole comment there cites TeamBlind, which we also reference a lot here because anonymous Microsoft insiders publish there:
I highly recommend checking out TeamBlind.com. I found it through a post on this site and it has so much more information - complete rabbit hole (seriously just clear your afternoon). Click on "Microsoft" under "All Channels" on the left hand nav menu and it will load all of the posts about Microsoft. There are a lot of posts about this.
For many years or decades Microsoft managed to keep many insiders under its thumb, drinking the Kool-Aid and not complaining in public. That began to change, so morale is awful right now and many workers are in "protest mode" (not just unions). They refuse to work or do the "bare minimum" (to avoid being fired or to get compensation when they're fired). █