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Microsoft To Cut Staff By 17 Percent?

So is January 15, 2009, Microsoft's Black Thursday? Something called Fudzilla is claiming they have Microsoft staff tipping them to a cut of 15,000 employees (so long, MSN), which is about 17 percent of Microsoft's 90,000 total. This isn't coming from nowhere: apparently Microsoft was advised to make a 10 percent cutback in staff to show investors that people's livelihoods weren't as important as a short-term, 10 percent earnings gain. Ever since, the FUD has been swirling. Closer to home, Mini Microsoft has the complete roundup of layoff leaks, rumors, and innuendo, from "nothing's happening," to "it's a re-org," to "hey, if you work on Office, you're golden."

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  • bilco

    Missed my sarcasm there, Audrey!

  • Audrey

    My sarcasm device is currently inoperable, but I've heard that it'll reboot if I let the battery run down and try again tomorrow.

  • bilco

    Give MvB a break, folks. Reasonably well-read sites like CNet and TimesOnline posted this exact same thing. When?



    Well, the Cnet article was January 1, 2009 10:06 AM PST, or about 22 hours AFTER MvB's story. CNet isn't unknown. TimesOnline posting was 18 hours AFTER MvB. TimesOnline isn't unknown.



    Personally, I doubt this massive layoff will happen, but covering your ears and singing loudly doesn't change the fact that even mighty MSFT can't keep making mistake after mistake and keep triumphing.



    It was really a bummer at my New Years Eve party, when we were all going to listen (and 'share tunes') over the Zunes we all have.

  • Audrey

    Too bad come midnight, no one's Zunes would've worked.

    http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/01/zune-frozen-wor.html

  • rjh

    This is what passes for blogging these days. Nothing original, just link to a story that cites wild rumors started by a specious, unknown site, without an ounce of incredulity. Does 15,000 layoffs really sound plausible? Did you even pause a second before posting this crap?

  • MvB

    Hmmph! I don't see why I should have to work any harder than CNET on sourcing things. Microsoft isn't talking to the Seattle Times about the rumors, so I am not sure that they would have spilled the beans to Seattlest, anyway.

  • mbq

    nice perpetuation of rumour, but next time try to sneak in a primary source, you f'ing arse. hiring freeze and reassignments != cuts in staff. not hiring 15,000 new employees but repurposing existing staff to fill those open spots isn't cutting.



    disclaimer: employee.

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