Overview
- Investment site TipRanks alleged Microsoft was weighing 11,000 to 22,000 job cuts in the third week of January, citing anonymous worker reports and pointing to Azure, Xbox, and global sales.
- Microsoft chief communications officer Frank X. Shaw publicly called the claims “100 percent made up / speculative / wrong” and responded to online skepticism.
- Windows Central editor Jez Corden disputed the Xbox‑specific elements before Shaw’s broader denial.
- The TipRanks report also claimed a tighter return‑to‑office policy from February 23 requiring at least three in‑office days for employees within 50 miles, a detail not confirmed by Microsoft.
- Coverage notes Microsoft’s 2025 reductions exceeding 15,000 roles and ongoing AI infrastructure outlays reported at roughly $80 billion last year, factors heightening employee concern about unverified layoff rumors.