Overview
- Microsoft announced the Voluntary Exit Offer on Monday, Oct. 26, opening it to roughly 60,000 employees at level 70 and below in the US, India, the UK and Canada in participating teams.
- Company leaders told reporters they expect only a small share to accept and have communicated an internal estimate of about 3,000 or fewer departures.
- Eligibility is set by business unit so some groups such as Copilot, Windows + Devices, Xbox, finance and HR are included while parts of sales, marketing, security and some data‑center teams are excluded.
- Severance terms vary by country, level and tenure with reported U.S. formulas based on weeks of pay per six months of service and Indian terms described as about one month’s pay per year plus benefits and transition support.
- The program could change team mixes without matching one‑for‑one job cuts because some departures may be backfilled with more junior hires, and the move follows earlier 2026 buyouts and July layoffs as Microsoft shifts toward heavier AI capital spending.