Microsoft Offers Voluntary Exit Package to About 60,000 Employees Across India, US, UK and Canada

New York: Microsoft on Monday announced a time-limited voluntary exit offer open to about 60,000 employees in India, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, roughly a quarter of its 223,000-strong global workforce, as the company pushes ahead with heavy investment in artificial intelligence.

According to a memo from chief people officer Amy Coleman, the offer is available to employees in participating teams at the vice president level and below, or level 70 and below. GeekWire reported that it includes some executives and has no age or tenure requirement. Eligible staff were to be notified by email on Monday. The memo said the new offer was meant to give workers greater flexibility and more ways to shape their next chapter.

A Microsoft spokesperson pushed back on describing it as a buyout, saying it is a standard severance package with career-planning resources, without the extra incentives of the retirement programme. The company does not expect anywhere near 60,000 people to accept, pointing to similar schemes at other firms where roughly 5 to 6 per cent of staff left. The figure covers those eligible, not those who will go. Business Insider first reported the programme.

Microsoft's headcount stood at 223,000 at the end of June, down from 228,000 at the end of 2025, according to regulatory filings. The move follows a series of workforce reductions, and Bloomberg described it as part of efforts to trim costs and retool the workforce for the AI era.