Overview
- Microsoft disclosed on Monday that it has invited roughly 60,000 employees in the United States, Canada, India and the United Kingdom to accept a voluntary severance offer.
- The ‘Golden Handshake’ package guarantees 60 days of base pay plus additional weeks tied to tenure, stronger multipliers for senior levels and protections for stock‑option claims along with transition support.
- Eligibility runs from vice president downward in selected units and excludes key areas such as AI data centers, IT security, quantum computing, marketing and commercial business.
- Company leaders frame the program as a way to give employees choice while analysts and reports say the move aims to free funds for very large 2026 AI and data‑center spending; actual departures remain uncertain because uptake is voluntary.
- The offer continues Microsoft’s 2026 restructuring that began with an April voluntary program and July cuts, and it could shift headcount on product teams and prompt wider industry workforce changes as capital is directed toward AI infrastructure.