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Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

blogs.microsoft.com

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Re: Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

#221

Post by raydev »

onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #37
malcolmgreaves wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They could all take massive pay cuts to preserve jobs. They have agency and they have chosen to enrich their stock price at the expense of people’s lives and well being.

Contrary to popular belief, at a company the size of MSFT - the execs could drop all their wages to $0 - and it would not be able to save 5% of the workforce from getting fired. The execs get paid a lot - but there's not that many of them, and there's 200k people at MSFT making an average salary (with benefits) >$200k. That's >$40B per year. The execs don't take home >$2B per year. Satya made <$60M last year. There's…

> it would not be able to save 5% of the workforce from getting fired

This part of your statement has no relevance given MS's position, even taking into account the current market.

MS as a company is in no danger here. In fact, they are doing quite well.

Re: Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

#223

Post by onlyrealcuzzo »

culi wrote: post #219
mrandish wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just saw a headline yesterday based on a new study which said the average U.S. CEO's compensation is 399 times the average employee. So there's your number. A CEO taking zero would cover less than 400 employees. Also, keep in mind the vast majority of Satya's compensation is in long-term vesting stock options which can become worthless if the stock is lower in four years than it is this year. Also, due to how capit…

> So there's your number. A CEO taking zero would cover less than 400 employees. That's not our number at all. GP said "executives" which includes a lot more than the CEOs. For all I know 1% of the company could be executives

Well, I told you how many "execs" are at MSFT. It's 19 out of >200k employees - so there's 100x less execs than your guess.

Re: Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

#224

Post by Tiktaalik »

KWxIUElW8Xt0tD9 wrote: post #62
ninethirty wrote: post #52

Back during the great depression, Milton Hershey went to great lengths to not have to fire his employees. Those days are looooooong gone.

HP did this back in the 80s also, we were working 9 of 10 days to avoid layoffs

The Ontario government did something like this during the recession in the 80s. There were "Rae Days" a dozen forced unpaid days off for the public service to both save money and jobs, named after the premier of the time, Bob Rae.

Rae Days were reviled and helped end the viability of Rae's party the Ontario NDP.

The thing is... I don't get it? Would people have rather had mass layoffs? Rae 100% did the right thing here IMO.

Re: Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

#225

Post by peanuty1 »

Prolixium wrote: post #182
petilon wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is a poorly executed process: "... the reduction of our overall workforce by 10,000 jobs through the end of FY23 Q3". So employees will have to live with uncertainty for the next three months!

Maybe they /want/ to see some increase in attrition due to the uncertainty. It's a very rough way of going about that, though.

Why would you quit when you'd get severance if you're laid off?

Re: Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

#226

Post by Firmwarrior »

munchbunny wrote: post #184
dubbel wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are people still happy about unlimited PTO being introduced? I thought it was shown that it reduces the average PTO taken.

It's mixed. From my personal observations the more junior folks and the people less up to date on the discourse around unlimited PTO are happier, but people who are aware of the knock-on effects on company culture, pressure to deliver, etc. are unhappy.

I wish I could get unlimited UNpaid time off. 90% of the value I create at work happens during initial factory line bringup and the last few weeks before shipping something. I'd go hang out somewhere cheap and live like a king most of the year

Re: Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

#227

Post by mattbrewsbytes »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #98
jstx1 wrote: post #3

> When I think about this moment in time, the start of 2023, it’s showtime – for our industry and for Microsoft. He could have left that part out.

I mean I don't understand the big announcement in the first place; with a company that large, reducing staff count by 10K can be done organically, simply by not hiring replacements. Which makes me think of two things; one, they want to get rid of very specific people, people who wouldn't quit on their own. And two, that they can't just reduce staff count without an announcement, because staff count is one of those me…

Layoffs over a certain size in a location have to be announced legally, WARN act I think is the name.

Usually reductions in staff are well received by Wall Street because operating expenses should be reduced. I think there's a joke about a CEO saying "oh stocks down, time for layoffs!"

Re: Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

#228

Post by TheRealDunkirk »

anthomtb wrote: post #81

Is Microsoft laying off executives too? Or will this only affect the rank and file? IME, if the company does not let go of executives, they are just tagging along with their peer companies on the layoff train. If they do make cuts at the VP/SVP level then the company really does have margin/profitability issues.

> Is Microsoft laying off executives too?

You must be new here. I work for a blue chip Fortune 200 widely known for their binge-and-purge cycles. Management is never affected. They just reshuffle the cards.

I've been predicting another "purge" in 2Q, but I suspect we will lag the tech sector, so maybe it will be EOY.

Re: Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

#229

Post by wittycardio »

aaomidi wrote: post #140
jsiepkes wrote: post #65

Satya is appointed by shareholders, not by employees. Employees can't fire Satya. And while employees might give him a hard time for this, shareholders can definitely give him a harder time if they see a (potential) decline in dividend. So cutting cost to keep dividends steady with a decline in profitability and revenue is the easiest fight for him. While it sucks, when working for a large tech company which is publi…

Employees can strike. Let’s see how fast the stock tanks then :)

[dead]

Re: Microsoft to lay off 10k workers

#230

Post by Espressosaurus »

aaomidi wrote: post #140
jsiepkes wrote: post #65

Satya is appointed by shareholders, not by employees. Employees can't fire Satya. And while employees might give him a hard time for this, shareholders can definitely give him a harder time if they see a (potential) decline in dividend. So cutting cost to keep dividends steady with a decline in profitability and revenue is the easiest fight for him. While it sucks, when working for a large tech company which is publi…

Employees can strike. Let’s see how fast the stock tanks then :)

Tech workers as a population are rather anti-union. Things need to get a lot worse before most will get on board with one, unfortunately. Everybody thinks they're a special snowflake getting one over on the company.
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