Microsoft to Cut 4,800 Jobs, Accounting for 2.1% of Total Staff. Xbox Division Suffers Purge, Stock Drops Over 18% This Year to Rank Dead Last Among Tech Giants.
TradingKey - Microsoft (MSFT) has officially implemented a new round of workforce optimization, laying off 4,800 employees across the company with immediate effect on the same day, representing 2.1% of its total workforce, with the gaming business serving as the core area of contraction. The Xbox division is the hardest-hit area of this adjustment, with cumulative layoffs projected to reach 20% by fiscal year 2027, to be rolled out gradually in phases. In addition to the layoffs, Microsoft has simultaneously initiated a review of its gaming assets, with four studios spinning off from its ecosystem: Compulsion Games and Double Fine, acquired in earlier years, will return to independent operations; Ninja Theory and Undead Labs will change ownership; and France-based Arkane Studios is also moving forward with an evaluation of strategic options.