LAST MONTH we wrote about seemingly reliable claims that Microsoft was looking into further layoffs [1, 2]. The abysmal results which came soon afterwards (earnings down 32%) justified this and the Web is now abuzz over the Microsoft-bred message which says: "Rumors of more Microsoft layoffs being announced on May 5th. Lots of panic in the employee base."
We received a tip last week, from a usually reliable person, that Microsoft would be making more job cuts this week. The company so far isn't commenting, and we haven't been able to get confirmation elsewhere. But independent of our inquiries, the online buzz increased over the weekend to the point that Microsoft employees will no doubt be a little nervous when they check their email tomorrow morning.