According to news on October 26, as of September 30, 2023, Microsoft's total number of global employees dropped to 215,500, a decrease of more than 16,000 from the peak of 232,000 at the end of 2022, which greatly exceeded the company's plan to lay off 10,000 people announced in January. U.S. media calculated Microsoft's latest headcount based on a statement from Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood on the company's earnings call on Tuesday.
access:
Microsoft China Official Mall-Home Page
Hood said at the time that Microsoft's headcount was down 7% year over year. Although the company does not mention the number of employees in its financial report, the above figures can be obtained by reviewing historical data and previously disclosed data.
In January this year, Microsoft announced that it would lay off 10,000 people, accounting for about 5% of its total workforce, as part of a wave of layoffs across the technology industry at that time. In July this year, after the end of fiscal year 2023, the company confirmed further layoffs in customer service, support and sales departments, but did not disclose the scale of the layoffs at the time.
The latest statistics do not include Activision Blizzard employees. As of December 2022, the company had 13,000 employees. Microsoft officially acquired the gaming giant on October 12, that is, after the end of the first fiscal quarter of fiscal year 2024 (ending September 30, 2023).
The massive layoffs at Microsoft come as the company pursues new growth opportunities in cloud computing and artificial intelligence and works to control costs. Microsoft's quarterly financial report released on Tuesday, local time in the United States, showed that operating expenses increased only 1% to $13.3 billion.
Microsoft reported first-quarter profit of $22.3 billion, up 27%, on revenue of $56.5 billion, both of which beat Wall Street expectations.