Microsoft Plans 14% Global Downsizing

REDMOND, WA—Tech giant Microsoft Corp. began laying off 13,000 workers worldwide Thursday, the first round of a planned 18,000 job cuts over the next 12 months. The 14% reduction will be the largest in the company’s history. A company spokesman tells GlobeSt.com that about 1,350 of the layoffs will occur in the Puget Sound region, or about 3% of the 43,000 employees based at or near Microsoft’s Redmond, WA headquarters.

In a company-wide email Thursday to employees, Microsoft CEO Satya Nandella wrote, “The first step to building the right organization for our ambitions is to realign our workforce.” Of the worldwide total, the recently acquired Nokia Devices and Services arm is expected to account for about 12,500 jobs, “comprising both professional and factory workers.”