A photo of a Microsoft sign. (KOMO)
REDMOND, Wash. —Changes are underway at Microsoft that will affect hundreds of employees in Washington state.
Microsoft has confirmed approximately 300 layoffs in Washington, as part of a wider global workforce shift.
The company announcedin July that it planned to eliminate 4,800 roles worldwide, representing about 2.1 percent of its total workforce, according to a blog post from Microsoft.
A Microsoft spokesperson said, “These changes are part of work we’ve been clear about since July, reshaping parts of the company to focus on where we’re investing for the future. They span several teams and reflect decisions made across the business, not in one place. We’re supporting impacted employees through this transition, including internal job search assistance, and we continue to hire across the company.”
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filing said Microsoft would cut 493 positions in Redmond and 112 remote roles in the Puget Sound region in early September.
The affected roles largely fall within Microsoft’s Commercial and XBOX organizations, according to comments from Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer Amy Coleman in a company blog post.
Coleman wrote that Microsoft “is changing because the world around it is changing.”
“Some of the tasks we do every day can now be automated,” Coleman wrote. She added, “And that means we all need to keep learning, keep building new skills and keep adapting as the work evolves.” Coleman said that while roles would not be replaced by artificial intelligence, AI played a part in the decision-making process.
The layoffs follow a voluntary buyout program offered to nearly 9,000 employees earlier in the year, about 7 percent of Microsoft’s American workforce.
Coleman said the company has also redeployed more than 4,000 employees to new roles and offered a voluntary retirement program, with 30 percent of eligible workers choosing to retire.
Microsoft provided additional context, explaining its ongoing commitment to investing in talent in Washington.
The company said that 850 university hires started in Puget Sound at the end of August, joining about 1,300 summer interns and that full-time offers are being made to members of that intern class.
Coleman thanked departing employees and wrote that Microsoft will “provide financial support and re
The company owns about a dozen game studios and plans to transition four of its gaming studios to operate under new management, though details about which studios were not shared.
Coleman and Microsoft did not specify the exact timing or locations beyond the WARN filing; however, the company indicated the process reflects decisions made across several teams, not concentrated in one area.
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