Microsoft offers early retirement for 1000s of employees

Microsoft is offering about 7% of its US workforce the option to retire early, the latest attempt by a major tech firm to downsize while ramping up artificial intelligence investments.

The one-time retirement program, a company first, will be available to employees whose age and years of service total 70 or higher, Microsoft said.

CNBC and Bloomberg first reported the voluntary buyouts, which the company confirmed to CNN.

Those at the senior director level and below will be able to participate, and Microsoft plans to notify eligible employees on May 7.

Microsoft shares (MSFT) fell nearly 4% on Thursday, the day the company informed employees about the program.

Tech giants have made sweeping staff cuts over the past year in response to the impact of AI on both the workforce and the broader tech industry. Metaon Thursday said it would cut 10% of its workers, or roughly 8,000 jobs, to operate more efficiently and offset other investments.

Amazon eliminated 30,000 jobs across two rounds of layoffs in January and October. And fintech company Block slashed a staggering 40% of its staff earlier this year because “a significantly smaller team” can “do more and do it better” with AI tools.

Microsoft, like other tech companies, has been investing heavily in AI infrastructure and tools. It spent $37.5 billion on expenses related to data centers and infrastructure in the quarter that ended in December. SOURCE: CNN