Microsoft expected to announce layoffs

[babylonsister]

Microsoft expected to announce layoffs
Posted by Ina Fried


In past downturns, Microsoft has been able to manage to trim around the edges and avoid large, widespread layoffs. But, as Steve Ballmer made clear in an interview with me last week, this is no ordinary downturn.

"The fact of the matter is, this is not a downturn, this is a bit of a reset," he said. "Those are quite different and we're trying to really suss through what we think that means for us."

For some weeks now, the company has been considering whether it would need to cut a significant number of jobs, with some analysts predicting layoffs of anywhere from 10 percent to 17 percent of Microsoft's 95,000 employee workforce, though I am hearing the number could be significantly less than those figures.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that cuts could come as early as next week; the company is scheduled to deliver its earnings report on Thursday.

more...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10143208-75.html

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

1. This one's gonna be interesting.

My feeling is that if MS lays off 10% or more of their workforce, things in the tech industry are going to get very, very bad very, very quickly.

[Romulox]

2. Time for Microsoft workers to retrain. "Those jobs aren't coming back!" nt