Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
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Re: Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
#2Re: Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
#3Surprisingly no mention of AI in an article about mass layoffs at a tech company. Wonder if that line has finally had all the juice squeezed from it to explain away layoffs and outsourcing.
Re: Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
#4Surprisingly no mention of AI in an article about mass layoffs at a tech company. Wonder if that line has finally had all the juice squeezed from it to explain away layoffs and outsourcing.
AI works as a smokescreen when doing product development layoffs, but you can't really use it for sales, which is still very human-to-human, or when canceling entire projects like they're doing in XBox Game Studios.
Re: Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
#5Surprisingly no mention of AI in an article about mass layoffs at a tech company. Wonder if that line has finally had all the juice squeezed from it to explain away layoffs and outsourcing.
The first sentence of the article is:
> Microsoft Corp. began job cuts that will impact about 9,000 workers, its second major wave of layoffs this year as it seeks to control costs while ramping up on artificial intelligence spending.
And AI is a bullet point in the "Takeaways, powered by Bloomberg AI" section as well.
Re: Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
#6Xbox has really become a sore point in the MS portfolio. Their pivot to a marketplace model where their games run everywhere is an admission that they lost the race to Sony. Block buster acquisition like Activision further have exacerbated their conundrum.
What Xbox is now can be done by a much smaller number of people.
Re: Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
#7Surprisingly no mention of AI in an article about mass layoffs at a tech company. Wonder if that line has finally had all the juice squeezed from it to explain away layoffs and outsourcing.
The first sentence of the article is: > Microsoft Corp. began job cuts that will impact about 9,000 workers, its second major wave of layoffs this year as it seeks to control costs while ramping up on artificial intelligence spending. And AI is a bullet point in the "Takeaways, powered by Bloomberg AI" section as well.
Yes. But in most messaging the layoffs are a result in productivity gains supposedly from AI. Not the same reasoning as capex costs.
Re: Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
#8[deleted]
Re: Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
#9For the most part, I'm indifferent to layoffs. Companies over hire and then course correct. It's part of the game. But for MSFT, it rubs me the wrong way. In the past 5 years, their stock has soared (150% on stock and doubled in valuation). They are insanely profitable ($82B profit). They are diverse (no existential business risk). The fact that they are unceremoniously laying off 30K of the people that helped them get there drives home it's just a paycheck, do your job, but know it can and will end when convenient for the company. I know folks will argue, low performers, but really. This "productivity apps" company hired them, onboarded them, made $82B in profit, surely they can figure out how to uplevel folks. Also how do you have a layoff every couple of months for 3 years. Thinking about the middle class in the previous generation, it was unions that effectively ensured a labor job meant a secure future. I wonder if that's the solution (again).
Re: Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
#10Surprisingly no mention of AI in an article about mass layoffs at a tech company. Wonder if that line has finally had all the juice squeezed from it to explain away layoffs and outsourcing.
AI works as a smokescreen when doing product development layoffs, but you can't really use it for sales, which is still very human-to-human, or when canceling entire projects like they're doing in XBox Game Studios.
Most of today's layoffs at Microsoft are affecting MCAPS, Microsoft's sales division.