Microsoft Lays Off 3% of Workforce, Hits Thousands

Microsoft confirms workforce reductions affecting 3% of its global employees.

According to CNBC, Microsoft employed 228,000 people as of June 2024 and plans to streamline management structures company-wide, impacting around 6,000 positions.

"We're making strategic organizational adjustments to remain competitive in an evolving market," a Microsoft representative told CNBC.

IGN has reached out to Microsoft regarding potential impacts on its gaming division.

The September 2024 restructuring follows earlier gaming division cuts of 1,900 employees earlier that year, bringing total gaming staff reductions to 2,550 since Microsoft's $69 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition. These measures included shutting down Tango Gameworks (Hi-Fi Rush) and Arkane Austin (Redfall).

Xbox head Phil Spencer told IGN in June 2024: "Running a sustainable business requires difficult decisions - choices I don't enjoy making but are necessary for growth."

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