Microsoft offers voluntary exit package to 60K employees

Tech giant Microsoft on Monday announced a voluntary exit programme for eligible employees in India, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, offering financial support and career planning resources to those who choose to leave the company, according to a blog post by the firm. Microsoft has about 23,000 employees in India, although it is not immediately clear how many would be eligible for the programme. Globally, around 60,000 employees are eligible. The time-limited buyout programme will be available to eligible employees at level 70 and below in participating teams across the four countries, Microsoft said. Employees will receive details of the offer, which allows them to leave the company voluntarily with support, within hours of the announcement.Eligible employees in India will have until December 1 to decide whether to accept the voluntary exit offer, it is learnt. The package is understood to be similar to a standard severance arrangement, including one month's base salary for every completed year of service, along with health insurance and career transition services.
The programme will cover eligible employees across several divisions, including AI experiences, Copilot, finance, human resources, Xbox and Windows + Devices, a source familiar with the matter told the news agency, requesting anonymity because the matter was private. Marketing, commercial business and security teams will be excluded. The offer comes as Microsoft and other technology giants pour hundreds of billions of dollars into AI infrastructure, including data centres and chips, prompting investors to question whether the returns will justify the enormous spending.
Meanwhile, a Microsoft spokesperson said the company continued to invest in India's talent and technology ecosystem and was supporting the country's AI ambitions with $20.5 billion in committed investment between 2025 and 2029 across cloud and AI infrastructure, skilling and operations. "We are also on track to fulfil our commitment of equipping 20 million people across India with AI skills by 2030," the spokesperson said.