Tech Layoffs 2024: Microsoft To Let Go Of 1,900 Employees From Its Gaming Division – News18

Microsoft joins the rising checklist of expertise corporations which have undergone workforce reductions because the begin of 2024. Having lately attained a market capitalization of $3 trillion, the Redmond-based tech large has made an official announcement concerning the upcoming layoff of 1,900 workers from its Activision Blizzard and Xbox divisions. These layoffs are anticipated to enter impact as quickly as this present week.

These layoffs, confirmed by Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer in an inner memo, represents an 8 to 9 p.c discount of the full workforce within the firm’s gaming division, which presently employs a complete of twenty-two,000 people.

Spencer says that that is a part of “aligning on a strategy” and having a “plan with a sustainable cost structure” after the Activision Blizzard acquisition three months in the past. Spencer added, “Together, we’ve set priorities, identified areas of overlap, and ensured that we’re all aligned on the best opportunities for growth.”

Spencer additional claimed that the corporate will present severance advantages in accordance with relevant native employment legal guidelines to affected workers, and that it’ll convey the identical quickly.

Alongside the layoffs, Blizzard President Mike Ybarra may even be leaving the tech large. “As many of you know, Mike previously spent more than 20 years at Microsoft. Now that he has seen the acquisition through as Blizzard’s president, he has decided to leave the company,” stated Matt Booty, Microsoft’s sport content material and studios president.

That being stated, Microsoft has joined the ranks of tech giants akin to Google, Amazon, Duolingo, and TikTook in implementing workforce reductions within the yr 2024, all occurring inside a quick span of roughly 20-25 days. Notably, Microsoft’s actions come shortly after the completion of its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, valued at $68.7 billion.