This is just MSFT (as did others) acknowledging the future has a lot less workers in it.
Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
181–190 of 215 posts
Re: Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
#182This is how I don't get when some predict that we'll have a shorter working week when AI improves productivity. If productivity gains are 50% the companies would rather have 50% lesser employees rather than 50% shorter work weeks.
Re: Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
#183I don’t remember when it became normalized for profitable companies to casually execute major layoffs. It used to be a “shameful” last resort that CEOs turned to as a last ditch effort to save a company facing bankruptcy. I suspect it’s related to the stock buyback safe harbor rule (Rule 10b-18.) Layoff announcements used to be a sign of a company in crisis, now the stock price often immediately rises, perhaps becaus…
Twitter layoffs of 2022 might have been the Lehman Brothers moment that marked the end of programming gold rush.
I think you're spot-on!
It was a first, and then the entire collection of CEOs showcased their herd mentality by jumping on that bandwagon. It's kinda like the anti-poaching collusion that happened... gosh, 10 years ago!
https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/apple-google-others-...
...only, this time, there's some bullshit "economic headwinds" arguments being advanced as reasons for these layoffs.
I remember experiencing actual belt-tightening in 2008-09, where it was disgraceful-but-necessary-to-save-the-company. It's nothing like that this time around.
Re: Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
#184Earlier quoted context omitted.
Somehow on places like HN, people aren't worthy of a job, it is the inverse of Peter Principle, keep firing the low performers until they land a job where they manage not to get fired.
That's literally how capitalism determines wages, yes. I too have critiques of capitalism. But I often refrain from enumerating them on every single comment that relates to labor because otherwise we never get to actually discuss labor in its current context.
Fortunately there are other ways to determine wages.
Not every society expects people to achieve maximal performace on quarterly OKR, while management foreman's play rythmic cadence drums and whip slashes.
Re: Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
#185Microsoft's most recent quarterly numbers, for those interested: - Revenue was $69.6 billion and increased 12% - Operating income was $31.7 billion and increased 17% (up 16% in constant currency) - Net income was $24.1 billion and increased 10% How can you justify needing layoffs when you made $24B in net income on $70B in revenue?? I guess $24B and a 10% YoY increase is almost failing?
I'm not going to defend Microsoft, but you don't budget based on current achievements. You budget on future prospects, and right now Microsoft is facing some tough times in Europe. The biggest IT expense in my country is the public sector buying various Microsoft licenses, and everyone from the top down are looking into replacing Microsoft with Open Source alternatives due to digital sovereignty. I doubt that has a b…
> You budget on future prospects, and right now Microsoft is facing some tough times in Europe. The biggest IT expense in my country is the public sector buying various Microsoft licenses, and everyone from the top down are looking into replacing Microsoft with Open Source alternatives due to digital sovereignty.
As they should: "Trump’s sanctions on ICC prosecutor have halted tribunal’s work". [0] Bert Hubert has been writing on the subject as well. [1]
[0] https://apnews.com/article/icc-trump-sanctions-karim-khan-co...
[1] https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/the-european-cloud-ladder/
Re: Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
#186For 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 g…
Why do we need a solution to a non-existent problem? Middle class is doing just fine e.g. https://economistwritingeveryday.com/2025/05/07/the-middle-w...
Re: Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
#187This pairs well with: 1 - Microsoft investing 3bn USD in India-based developers: https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-invest-3-bln-ex... 2 - Microsoft having 4700 H1B filings for fiscal 2025: https://www.myvisajobs.com/employer/microsoft/ Utterly predictable behavior by Satya Nadella.
Not to hate on immigrants… but shouldn’t H1B’s be the first on the chopping block of layoffs? Hard to imagine all those H1Bs are so unique that others already employed can’t replace them.
I was on L1 (with Canadian PR, so it wasn't totally critical for me) during 2010 or so layoffs/firings, and I've heard rumors that they were trying to spare H1s/L1s because it's a giant pain to get fired as one. I don't think it's related to paycheck; after being encouraged to relocate from Canada (on PR i.e. not dependent on the job) to the US (on L1 i.e. worse than H1) my paycheck went up a bunch for the same job.
Re: Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
#188For 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 g…
I think you are highlighting the truly important bit here - that megacorporations are economy's cancer. I am on the side that work is work, there should be no emotional connection, except for the personal relationships. It is fine that companies hire when they need resources and fire when they don't. However, a small company might lay off 10 people and they will quickly disperse in the available work pool. However, laying off 30k people at once does serious damage to the market and the prospects of those laid off people.
Re: Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
#189I don’t remember when it became normalized for profitable companies to casually execute major layoffs. It used to be a “shameful” last resort that CEOs turned to as a last ditch effort to save a company facing bankruptcy. I suspect it’s related to the stock buyback safe harbor rule (Rule 10b-18.) Layoff announcements used to be a sign of a company in crisis, now the stock price often immediately rises, perhaps becaus…
The Wall Street bros love layoffs. They think it makes a company more efficient. They don't see it at all as a problem with management, they just think it's a great idea. So the stock often goes up with a layoff announcement.
there is no lost love between me and Wall Street "bros" BUT it's not their job to run the companies, their job is to buy and sell shares based on results and potential future results.
When a company decides to go public and take their money it's still the company's responsibility to run their business and keep the people they took money from in exchange for shares happy.
Re: Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs
#190Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm not going to defend Microsoft, but you don't budget based on current achievements. You budget on future prospects, and right now Microsoft is facing some tough times in Europe. The biggest IT expense in my country is the public sector buying various Microsoft licenses, and everyone from the top down are looking into replacing Microsoft with Open Source alternatives due to digital sovereignty. I doubt that has a b…
> You budget on future prospects, and right now Microsoft is facing some tough times in Europe. The biggest IT expense in my country is the public sector buying various Microsoft licenses, and everyone from the top down are looking into replacing Microsoft with Open Source alternatives due to digital sovereignty. As they should: "Trump’s sanctions on ICC prosecutor have halted tribunal’s work". [0] Bert Hubert has be…
Certainly. I'd argue (and I have been) that we should have done these things a long time ago. I live in Denmark, we have a digital national ID called mitID. You can use it without the official app, but it's annoying, and similar to all other public apps (we have a social security card app, a drivers license app, a doctors app, an app for communicating with schools and daycares and so on) you need Google Play or Apple Store to use them. So even if you as a private citizen want to run a FairPhone with /e/OS then you can't do that and also run any public app.
Even without actual political interference, it's slightly annoying that we bind our public services into having a Google or Apple account.