Microsoft offers voluntary buyouts to 60,000 employees as AI spending grows

Microsoft has offered voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 employees, roughly 27 percent of its global workforce, as it expands spending on artificial intelligence.

• The program covers employees at level 70 and below on teams in the US, Canada, Britain, and India, spanning Copilot, Xbox, Windows, human-resources, and finance divisions.
• Microsoft projected its 2026 capital expenditures at about $175 billion, driven by spending on AI data centers, chips, and computing capacity.
• Chief People Officer Amy Coleman told employees the voluntary exit offer gives eligible workers considering a future outside the company a new choice to transition now with support.
• Microsoft employed about 223,000 full-time workers worldwide as of June 30, 2026.