Last week we mentioned Fudzilla's claim that Microsoft was going to cut up to 17 percent of its staff. Fudzilla has recanted the strong version of that statement, now saying that "staff" includes contractors and agencies. (All depends on what your definition of "staff" is.) This morning TechFlash has a Goldman Sachs analyst saying that Microsoft is likely to "cut heads" and a 10 percent number sounds "reasonable." But no matter how you slice it, any Microsoft cutback is bad for Seattle. The company has been a mainstay for many local marketing/PR firms, and the reductions in MIcrosoft spending that have already occurred have hit the sector hard. more ›

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." more ›