It's Not the Layoffs, It's the Debt

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Jul 02, 2026

Wednesday:

Microsoft layoffs: Heard a grown man cry in the bathroom today 🫡

Hours ago:

This Tuesday marked my last day at IBM. I would like to sincerely thank all clients, colleagues and friends for 25 years of fantastic collaboration

Debt of IBM and Microsoft will be revealed later this month, as it's part of their report, which also represents the start of a new financial year. For some perspective see:

Microsoft Debt Rose Almost $50 Billion Since We Moved to Debian
IBM's Debt Increased Over $5 Billion in 3 Months While IBM Laid Off Many in Europe, US, Confluent, HashiCorp, and Red Hat
GAFAM (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft) Layoffs Are Due to Surging Debt, or About 120 Billion Dollars Borrowed in One Year Alone

Microsoft's increase in debt will become visible at the end of this month. IBM will report it a bit earlier than that.

Remember: the layoffs are due to commercial problems, not "hey hi". PIPs and/or "silent layoffs" are about the companies flouting obligations to staff, reducing or eliminating the compensation packages. █

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