Microsoft Layoffs: Microsoft is gearing up for another round of layoffs, targeting underperforming employees across various divisions, including its critical Security department, according to a Business Insider report. While a company spokesperson confirmed the layoffs, they declined to disclose the number of employees who will be impacted.

Managers have spent months reviewing staff performance across all levels, including senior roles. The upcoming layoffs are also expected to be widespread and will impact key areas like Microsoft’s security division. Interestingly, when employees leave due to performance-related issues, their roles are often refilled, so Microsoft’s total workforce might not shrink much. As of June 2024, the company employed about 228,000 full-time workers.

Managers have spent months reviewing staff performance across all levels, including senior roles. The upcoming layoffs are also expected to be widespread and will impact key areas like Microsoft’s security division.

Previous layoffs at Microsoft

This isn’t the first time Microsoft is laying off employees. In 2023, the company cut around 10,000 jobs, roughly 5% of its workforce, with some of those cuts affecting its Xbox gaming division. In the summer of 2024, Microsoft laid off around 1,000 employees from its Azure cloud services division. The job cuts continued in September 2024, with 650 employees from the Xbox division being let go. These reductions brought the total number of gaming-related layoffs for the year to nearly 3,000.

Microsoft to train 500,000 in rural India in AI skills

Meanwhile, Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella announced an initiative on Wednesday to train 500,000 individuals in rural India in artificial intelligence (AI) skills. The program, launched in partnership with India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), aims to equip underserved communities with advanced technological knowledge.

The announcement came during Nadella’s visit to New Delhi as part of the Microsoft AI Tour. Emphasizing the importance of advancing human expertise in AI, Nadella noted the rapid progress India is making in AI skilling and its growing influence in the global AI landscape.