On Monday, October 26, Microsoft announced its „Voluntary Exit Offer” program, a severance-backed option for employees to leave the company, aimed at about 60,000 staff. That is more than a quarter of its workforce, and the tech giant is spending tens of billions of dollars on data centers and AI infrastructure at the same time.
The program was presented in a memo from Chief People Officer Amy Coleman, which Fox Business says was published on Microsoft’s official blog. The offer covers employees in the US, Canada, the UK and India. As reported by CNBC, eligibility extends to employees up to level 70 on the company’s internal scale. Microsoft confirmed the 60,000 figure to GeekWire, and according to CBC, citing Reuters, the company had 223,000 full-time employees as of June 30.
„The Voluntary Exit Offer reflects an important part of how we are changing the way we approach change: it provides greater flexibility and, where possible, more ways for people to shape their next chapter” — Amy Coleman, Microsoft Chief People Officer (our translation, quoted by CNBC).
What departing employees will get
According to GeekWire, the package matches Microsoft’s standard severance. It includes base pay depending on tenure and job level, continued vesting of stock awards, health insurance for a set period, and career transition support. It does not include the extended healthcare coverage that was a key part of the spring retirement program. Employees have until the first week of December to decide. CNBC reports that those who accept will leave the company on December 31.
The offer has no age or tenure requirement, and performance reviews are not a criterion. Participation depends on decisions by leaders of individual units. Sales is not part of the program, nor are some engineering teams and corporate functions. Reuters, citing an anonymous source, named Copilot, finance, HR, Xbox, and Windows and devices among the affected areas.
Context: layoffs and retirement offers
Microsoft says it expects a much smaller share of takers than in the spring retirement program, which about 30% of eligible employees accepted (around 8,750 people in the US), GeekWire reports. That earlier program was the company’s first of its kind and applied only to US employees who met certain tenure and age criteria.
In July, the company announced layoffs of 4,800 people, about 2% of its workforce, and several hundred more in September. In 2025, the firm cut more than 15,000 jobs. A Microsoft spokesperson says the offer does not mean the company needs fewer employees. They also stress that it does not replace layoffs, which will remain a tool dependent on business conditions. According to GeekWire, Coleman said in July that the company is exploring regular use of voluntary exits, even annually.
What it means for Poland
The offer does not cover Poland, as it applies only to the four countries named. It is, however, another sign that large tech companies are cutting employment costs to fund AI investments. For employees and IT job seekers, it signals growing pressure to reduce headcount among the largest players in the sector. Microsoft has not yet disclosed how many employees have accepted the offer, so the actual scale of departures will only become clear after the December decision deadline.
