Microsoft stock
On October 26, 2026, Microsoft introduced a global "Voluntary Exit Offer" providing buyout packages to roughly 60,000 employees—representing over a quarter of its 223,000--strong global workforce. Open to eligible employees at the vice--president level and below across the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and India, the program includes divisions such as Xbox, Windows, and Copilot, while exempting critical infrastructure areas including datacenters and cybersecurity. Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer Amy Coleman stated that the measure allows participating organizations to reshape staffing needs as the company balances operating expenses against multi--billion--dollar artificial intelligence capital investments. The restructuring comes just ahead of Microsoft's fiscal year 2027 first--quarter earnings conference call scheduled for October 28, 2026.