Microsoft offers voluntary retirement to 7% of US workers in first-ever buyout programme amid $80B AI spending push

Summary: Microsoft is offering voluntary retirement to approximately 7% of its US workforce (~8,750 of 125,000 employees) in the first such programme in its 51-year history, using a “Rule of 70” formula (age + years of service). The offer, disclosed by CPO Amy Coleman, targets senior director level and below, with details arriving 7 May and a 30-day window. It follows 15,000+ layoffs in 2025, a March 2026 hiring freeze (AI teams exempt), and comes as Microsoft spends $80B+ on AI infrastructure while reporting $81.3B quarterly revenue.

Microsoft is offering voluntary retirement to approximately 7% of its US workforce, roughly 8,750 employees out of 125,000, in the first programme of its kind in the company’s 51-year history. The offer, announced in an internal memo on Wednesday by Amy Coleman, the company’s chief people officer, uses what Microsoft calls the “Rule of 70“: employees ...