Microsoft is Cutting 3% of All Workers (cnbc.com) 71
Microsoft is laying off 3% of employees across all levels and geographies, the company said Tuesday. "We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace," a spokesperson told CNBC. Microsoft had 228,000 employees worldwide at the end of June, meaning that the move will affect thousands of employees.
The AI gamble (Score:2)
....hasn't paid off.
Cetainly more than these 3% will have to go later this year.
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No, they hired a guy to run their AI department and it's been going very poorly. If you're looking at "abject failures of AI trying to win in the market" this isn't it, the guy they hired to run their AI division is just bad at running AI divisions at microsoft. Even their CFO was critical of the guy last week in a public meeting. People at least critisize apple's lack of interest in AI, microsoft is doing so poorly they're not even part of the conversation.
Re: The AI gamble (Score:2)
Most of their AI gamble is tied up in OpenAI though. I doubt this will have much further impact. Microsoft doesn't have much of a history of layoffs. The pandemic has exposed a lot of malinvestment that's still unwinding.
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3% isn't unreasonable, and is likely undershooting. Their hiring process isn't perfect and they'll bring on some people they shouldn't have or they'll have some employees who stopped caring for whatever reason and aren't contributing. These people will be replaced by someone else that MS hopes is going to do a better job. The replacement hiring won't get any news coverage though.
If the same managers who did the hiring are now doing the firing, are we assuming that their prior incompetence in hiring has now magically transformed into surgical precision in firing? Mass layoffs, whether by Microsoft or DOGE or anyone, tends to be a process of throwing a hatchet at a dartboard. The one saving grace (depending on one's viewpoint) is that the stock price will go up because mass layoffs are an accounting procedure rather than a productivity one.
Re: The AI gamble (Score:2)
Itâ(TM)s the managers being fired this time.
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Well, to be fair, it is easier to fire than it is to hire (strictly from the standpoint of judging competence).
When you hire you go from a limited set of interviews and maybe some testing and dynamics. When you fire you (hopefully) are being supported by a track record which shows that for whatever reason, it did not work out (not always, there's also blanket firing for "reasons".)
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But there was supposed to be an Earth-shattering Kaboom! [youtube.com] I didn't hear the kaboom. Instead, the AI bubble currently has a slow hissing leak. Will it actually die gradually instead of the giant crashes of past bubbles? Or is the Kaboom still around the corner?...
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Re: not enough (Score:2)
"The money isn't flowing [at Microsoft]"
Hahaha lol, that's the funniest shit I've heard all week
he's right though (Score:1)
Re: he's right though (Score:2)
"on landing the profit and revenue airplane on a dime every single quarter."
Microsoft is so good at hitting their numbers, there's often a little dip in stock price when they exceed their numbers. Amy Hood might be the best CFO in the world.
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I was mostly with you until you started going on about gold-based currency. There were also recessions when gold was king. Even gold has imaginary value, it is only worth what it is because of the balance of supply and demand, just like for any commodity or service. Wishing for a return to gold, is like wishing for a return to the barter system, where everybody could touch and feel what they were trading.
Will they fire the CEO and marketing? (Score:4, Insightful)
And what passes for "security experts" and "UI experts" with these cretins, please? No? Just more enshittification? Well. No surprise, really.
Sales are doing just fine (Score:2, Informative)
The economy is fundamentally set up against you. And you probably voted for it if you're around here. I think most of us who haven't figured that out are just too old now. You get incredibly stubborn past the age of 40. If that teenage stubbornnes
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Well, I do not mind people spending money on crappy overpriced tools, as long as I do not have to use them. The last one I use is now Teams, no Word, Excel, Office or PowerPoint. Since I video-stream lectures, I am not sure In-Browser on Linux will work well enough there and unfortunately, the European anti-trust people seem to be satisfied with Teams being available via browser. But I may lock that remaining Windows installation into a VM. Will try this summer when lectures are paused.
I also have to admit
Re: Will they fire the CEO and marketing? (Score:5, Insightful)
Why would they fire the CEO? Microsoft has performed amazingly under Nadella and Hood.
If you don't like MS's products, stop using them. Don't complain about a CEO that's delivering what their customers want.
I stopped using Windows like 25 years ago. But I do hold a notable amount of MSFT. I have no use for their products, but I'm not going to sit here and complain that they don't make MS Linux; that's not what the paying customers want.
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You do not understand how a society works, do you? Too much of that "amazing performance" and everything burns donwn...
Re: Will they fire the CEO and marketing? (Score:3)
If you think MS is going to burn down, short their stock and make tons of money.
I'll continue to hold and we'll see how it goes.
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Well, if you could read you would have actually seen that was not what I wrote. Pathetic. But yes, you are definitely part of the problem.
Re: Will they fire the CEO and marketing? (Score:2)
Yeah, I've heard people bitching about MS for 30 years now, and many have regularly made claims that THIS time they've gone too far and everyone's going to stop using their products. Hasn't happened yet.
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You still do not get it. I was not talking MS, I was talking about society as a whole. Too much enshittification by too many enterprises and that is it. But how would you even begin to understand?
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Doom! Doom! Doom!
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And the village idiot makes its entry ...
Re: Will they fire the CEO and marketing? (Score:2)
You switched topics without telling anyone...
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I did not. You have a reading disability ...
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Why would they fire the CEO? Microsoft has performed amazingly under Nadella and Hood.
THIS. This right here. The Truth is revealed. The ONLY thing that matters is money. If enough of it is rolling in, then EVERYTHING else is justified.
And you wonder why there is so much corruption. This kind of thinking right here enables it.
Maybe try making an operating system that people want rather than abusing the monopoly to force sales?
3% (Score:5, Funny)
So, if you're 6 feet tall, your hair is going to be cut 2" shorter. Not so great for bald guys.
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As opposed to Trump Devotion Syndrome? The devotion syndrome, i.e., cult following, is way more dangerous.
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You do realize that there is a middle ground right? You seem to represent the biggest issue in politics today, and that is you are either on my side, or you are my enemy...no middle ground.
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You just created a strawman.
There is no middle ground (Score:2, Insightful)
Also he is actively trying to institute martial law and suspend habeas corpus.
If you don't think we've crossed the red line we're done here. You are so far gone there is literally no discussion to be had. You're just a fascist now and a Nazi and congratulatio
And if Trump were still a Democrat ... (Score:2)
Trump is a guy with 26 credible rape accusations one of which is against two 13 year old girls, 34 felony convictions who gives out classified documents as party favors and has accepted somewhere in the ballpark of 2.5 billion dollars in bribes.
And if he were still a Democrat the Dereangement folks would be embracing and defending him. Basically the Derangement and Devotion cults would swap memberships.
Bullshit (Score:2)
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And more people declare themselves Independents (Score:2)
The Democrats kicked Kirsten Sinema to the curb the moment it became obvious she was a moderate Republican.
Nice switch you attempted there. You did not accuse Trump of being a moderate Republican. You accused him of being a sexual predator and of being corrupt. Also you falsely identify Sinema, she was in fact a conservative Democrat. As Trump used to be. Unlike sexual predators and corrupt officials, conservative democrats are not welcome in the current Democratic Party.
They're in the process of doing the same with fetterman.
Yes, another conservative Democrat not welcome in the Democratic Party.
And people wonder why more and more Americans are declaring themselve
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Al Franken.
[Mic drop]
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Al Franken.
Bill Clinton.
Hillary Clinton (attacking Bill's victims, suppressing their stories)
Slap on wrist, not impeachment (Score:2)
Al Franken.
Al Franken was not part of the protected Democratic elite like Kennedys, Clintons, and Trumps. So his protection was limited. Franken resigned when faced when censure and loss of committee assignments. A slap on the wrist. Despite 12+ women who had come forward.
He was not threatened with being expelled, which would have cost the Dems a vote.
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yes, the 'protected' 'democrat' elite donald trump, that was openly mocked by Obama.
I wish you could read what you write.
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yes, the 'protected' 'democrat' elite donald trump, that was openly mocked by Obama. I wish you could read what you write.
Trump was a democrat during the Bush Jr administration, he turned republican over Obama. What a surprise, Obama mocked a political opponent. Also, Obama's mocking is often ill informed. For example, he mocked Romney for considering Russia a threat. And Obama was the idiot that gave Biden a path to the White House. So let's not pretend his judgement is all that.
The fact remains he was friends with Bill and Hillary and many other elite Democrats. Obama did not join the elites until after his presidency, af
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Once you understand what a thought terminating cliche is everything about Trump supporters starts to make sense.
They have reams and reams of them. Fun little phrases they can say anytime anyone tries to make them think about or question dear leader in a negative light.
They are completely unreachable and it's a waste of time to even try
Both the Derangement and Devotion cults (Score:2)
Derangement and Devotion are both cult followings (Score:2)
As opposed to Trump Devotion Syndrome? The devotion syndrome, i.e., cult following, is way more dangerous.
No, equally dangerous, same sort of people. Derangement and Devotion are both cult followings. Nothing more than rival gangs existing dual to mutual hate. Practicing dogmatic opposition to anything the other advocates.
This ladies and gentlemen (Score:2)
Re: Everyone knows Trump is going to cause a reces (Score:1)
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Re: Everyone knows Trump is going to cause a rece (Score:1)
There are a lot of tech companies (Score:2)
That are laying off those that underperform. 10 years ago every tech company was rapidly hiring and they didn't care who they got, now that the space isn't its competitive they are laying off those who don't perform and calling it restructuring
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C Suite (Score:5, Insightful)
I bet they don't cut 3% of the C suite.
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0.03 * 7 = 0.21
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Then you round up or remove 21% of one of them, the head should do.
cutting staff is important (Score:2)
If you don't have any products or services you wish to develop and can't grow your business then what other choice is there but to reduce costs like payroll.
If on the other hand you are managing a successful business, you will find things for people to do that have a higher return than what you spend on their salary.
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If on the other hand you are managing a successful business, you will find things for people to do that have a higher return than what you spend on their salary.
I'd say up to a certain point, and within a certain company size and culture. It sucks, but why would you waste desk space on a person that brings in 1 dollar of profit when the average employee brings in 5 (and maybe the next hire will be above average)?
Shakespeare! (Score:3)
Microsoft is Cutting 3% of All Workers
Workers: "If you cut us, do we not bleed?"
Yes, I'm aware that the Bard used "prick" instead of "cut". But it seems to me that Microsoft has more than enough pricks to cover that base...
Pruning the headcount tree (Score:2)
A little pruning of the headcount tree during challenging times should be expected. It's just good business.
On the other hand, if it continues with WARN filings every 3-6 months, that's indicative of management failure.
The thing about working for fortune 500 companies as a (rare) regular employee, is that every little detail about your work is tracked and recorded. I Then you are ranked against all other regular employees (Bout you may not know where you are in the rankings if they don't use stack ranking)
Shorter workers. (Score:2)
-Oh what?
corporate layoff stories (Score:2)