Microsoft expected to cull 700 jobs

Microsoft is expected to cut as many as 700 jobs later this week as part of its upcoming second-quarter financials on 26 January.

Microsoft has yet to confirm the announcement, but it's not a complete shock, as the company has been cutting jobs for some time, with 2,850 job losses forecast in the company's annual report last year.

Unlike the mass culling of ex-Nokia staff, which saw 7,400 positions go from one business unit, this won't be a huge cull in one area or territory but a mixture of natural wastage and attempts to redeploy staff within the organisation.

It will also, says Business Insider, not be a case of culling altogether because there are 1,600 job vacancies currently posted on LinkedIn across Microsoft, making a net gain in employees of 900.

In 2014, the company laid off a total of 18,000 jobs, the biggest mass layoff in its history.

Microsoft has spent a great deal of time reinventing itself under Satya Nadella, which has resulted in a very different company to the one that released Windows 7.

Some things have worked, like its promotion of Windows 10 which is now closing in on a quarter market share. Others, like the acquisition of Nokia and the Lumia brand have not, and job cuts have been an inevitable by-product.

But the big money is now in cloud services, which has seen Azure and AI services skyrocket in popularity under Nadella's leadership. All eyes will be on this part of its business come Thursday when the latest results are unveiled.

:story: V3.co.uk