Microsoft: 60,000 Employees Affected by Departure Plan

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Microsoft: 60,000 Employees Affected by Departure Plan.

Le Monde reported on October 26, 2026, that Microsoft had announced a new plan for voluntary departures. It is expected to affect around 60,000 employees in four countries, including the United States. This gives affected employees the option to leave Microsoft voluntarily.

It is already the second program of this kind. The first was announced in April. Microsoft intends once again to adjust its workforce size to the changed requirements. So far, the move has only been announced and represents another planned workforce measure.

The report explicitly refers to voluntary departures. The figure of 60,000 employees therefore describes the expected scope of the program and not the number of people who have already left the company.

How Large Is Microsoft’s New Departure Plan?

With around 60,000 employees, the announced plan is broad in scope. It affects employees in four countries; the United States is explicitly named in the report as one of them. According to the information available, the program is therefore not limited to a single market.

The timing is also clear: this is the second voluntary departure plan after an initial program of the same kind in April. Microsoft is therefore taking another workforce measure of the same type following its first initiative.

For affected employees, this means concretely that the option of leaving Microsoft voluntarily is being offered on a large scale. The 60,000 figure should be understood as an order of magnitude for the scope of the plan, not as a tally of employees who have already left.

Why Is Microsoft Adjusting Its Workforce?

Microsoft justifies the new plan by adjusting its workforce size in line with evolving requirements. The company’s head of human resources describes the move as a means of adjusting the workforce to changing requirements.

“a means of adjusting the workforce to evolving requirements”

The rationale is broadly framed. The information provided does not cite any individual product, specific location or separate operational event as the immediate cause. The focus is on aligning the workforce with changing requirements.

Despite the general rationale, the scale is significant: around 60,000 employees in four countries are expected to be affected. As a first voluntary plan was already announced in April, the current move continues this workforce strategy.

What Does the Plan Mean for Affected Employees?

For employees in the countries covered, the announcement is directly relevant. It concerns voluntary departures from the company; the decision to leave remains voluntary and is not forced by an announced dismissal in the traditional sense.

However, no concrete conditions can be derived from the information provided. Enrollment deadlines, compensation details, the duration of the program and which groups of employees will be included in the individual countries are not stated. Nor can the consequences for teams or individual locations yet be quantified from this information.

Likewise, the report does not indicate how many employees will actually take up the offer. Neither the number of positions that will become available nor the financial impact can be reliably calculated without this information. The planned scope of the program is therefore clear for now.

What Is Already Known – and What Remains Unclear

• New plan: Microsoft announces another plan for voluntary departures.
• Expected scope: Around 60,000 employees in four countries.
• Geography: The United States is explicitly included.
• Timing: It is the second plan of this kind; the first was announced in April.
• Rationale: Microsoft wants to adjust its workforce size in line with evolving requirements.

This establishes that Microsoft is planning another large-scale workforce measure. For affected employees, the key remaining factors are the specific terms of participation and the timeline. The information provided gives the scope and rationale, but not yet the details needed to make a personal decision.