Microsoft Cuts 3% of Workforce, Affecting Thousands

Microsoft has confirmed a workforce reduction affecting 3% of its total staff.

According to CNBC, Microsoft employed 228,000 people as of June 2024 and is streamlining management structures across all departments. The layoffs will impact around 6,000 employees.

“We continue to make organizational adjustments to best position the company for success in a rapidly evolving market,” a Microsoft spokesperson told CNBC in a statement.

IGN has reached out to Microsoft to determine whether these cuts will affect its video game division.

In September 2024, Microsoft eliminated an additional 650 positions from its gaming unit, following the dismissal of 1,900 employees earlier that year. These moves included the closure of Tango Gameworks, the studio behind Hi-Fi Rush, and Arkane Austin, the developer of Redfall. Since acquiring Activision Blizzard for $69 billion in 2023, Microsoft has let go of 2,550 gaming staff.

In a June 2024 interview with IGN, Xbox head Phil Spencer stated, “I must operate a sustainable and growing business within the company. That occasionally requires making difficult decisions—choices I don’t personally favor, but which are necessary.”

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