Microsoft announced this Monday (26) a voluntary exit program that could reach about 60,000 employees, equivalent to 27% of its global workforce. The initiative allows eligible professionals to leave the company with financial compensation, amid expanding investments in artificial intelligence.
The program, called Voluntary Exit Offer (VEO), was presented by Amy Coleman, executive vice president and director of Human Resources at Microsoft. According to the company, the measure seeks to offer more flexibility to employees and allow different areas to adapt their teams to business needs.
The offer covers professionals on selected teams in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and India, in roles classified up to level 70 in the company's internal structure, including certain executive positions.
Participants will receive financial compensation and career guidance resources. However, the option to participate will not be offered to all areas. Sales teams and certain engineering departments, among other groups, were left out.
Number of eligible employees does not represent a layoff target
Although the offer reaches approximately a quarter of the company, this does not mean that 60,000 people will be laid off. Microsoft has not publicly set a participation target and said it expects proportionally lower participation than was recorded in its previous program.
The new initiative also has different conditions. Unlike the voluntary retirement program launched earlier in 2026, there is no minimum age or length-of-service requirement. Eligible employees have until the first week of December to decide whether they want to participate.
In the previous program, more than 30% of eligible professionals accepted the offer. In July, Microsoft also announced the elimination of approximately 4,800 jobs, mainly in sales operations and the Xbox division.
The company had 223,000 full-time employees as of June 30, 2026, according to its annual report.
The new program comes as Microsoft expands its investments in computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure. The company projects approximately US$ 175 billion in capital expenditures during 2026, including investments associated with expanding its technology capacity.
Microsoft has not yet disclosed how many employees it intends to lay off through the new offer.
