Microsoft is reportedly laying off approximately 3% of its workforce. This move by the tech behemoth is an attempt to control expenses while also making a high-stakes gamble on the future of artificial intelligence, according to CNBC.
Now, let’s say that these cuts will have an impact across all hierarchies and regions. This information comes from a company statement referenced in the report, but Microsoft itself has yet to comment directly on our query.
The timing of this decision. It comes on the heels of Microsoft demonstrating robust growth in its cloud-computing division, Azure, and posting impressive results in the last financial quarter. These factors have helped to assuage investor concerns in an economy fraught with uncertainty.
At the end of June last year, Microsoft had a total of 228,000 workers, with 126,000 of those employees residing in the United States, as per its annual filing with the U.S. SEC. Therefore, a 3% cut to its workforce is not an insignificant number.
The problem, fundamentally, is not the downsizing per se, but the precise motivation behind it. Is it a legitimate cost-cutting measure or an overzealous gamble on artificial intelligence? The reality is that only time and data will tell.