Microsoft gives voluntary buyout offer to about 60,000 employees

Microsoft said on Monday it is offering voluntary buyouts to more than a quarter of its global workforce — including in Canada — as the technology giant looks to contain costs and help fund its ‌massive AI investments.

Offer will be available to employees in Canada, India, the United ​Kingdom and the United States

Jaspreet ​Singh · Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Oct 26, 2026 3:41 PM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes ago

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Microsoft said on Monday it is offering voluntary buyouts to many staff members as the technology giant looks to contain costs and help fund its ‌massive AI investments.

The offer was extended to about 60,000 employees, according to sources for CNBC, Reuters and Bloomberg. Microsoft had 223,000 full-time employees ‌globally as of June 30, according to its annual filing, meaning more than a quarter of its global workforce would have received the buyout offer.

Staffers across the Windows maker would be eligible for the offers, including those working in AI experiences, Copilot, finance, human resources, Xbox and Windows + Devices, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, requesting anonymity ​as the matter was private. Units such as marketing, ​commercial business and security will be excluded, the source added.

In a memo, Microsoft's executive vice-president and chief people officer said the offer will be available to eligible employees in Canada, India, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Microsoft didn't immediately respond to questions from CBC News about how many Canadians were offered the buyout.

"This offer gives eligible employees who may be considering a future outside the company ​a new choice to make that transition now with support. It also ⁠gives participating organizations another ⁠way to adapt their workforce to changing needs," ‌chief people officer Amy Coleman said in a staff memo.

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The company said it was a time-limited, voluntary program and built on insights gained from a previous voluntary retirement program. The eligible employees will receive details within the next few hours, it added.

Like other tech giants, Microsoft is spending hundreds of billions of dollars on AI data centres and chips, drawing scrutiny from investors over whether the returns will ⁠justify the staggering cost. The company, slated to report first-quarter results after markets close on Wednesday, has forecast $175 billion US in capital expenditures for the 2026 calendar year.

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Shares of Microsoft, which had risen about 10 per cent this year, were up about 1 per cent on Monday. The development was first reported by Business Insider.

The company earlier this year offered ​voluntary buyouts to about 7 per cent of its U.S. workforce, or about 9,000 employees.

In July, Microsoft announced it would ⁠cut 4,800 jobs, or about 2.1 per cent of its global workforce, overhauling its Xbox gaming business and ⁠divesting up to five studios as it looks to boost returns after years ⁠of ⁠heavy investment in the division.