Microsoft offers voluntary exit to eligible staff, including Xbox, in four countries

Microsoft is offering a Voluntary Exit Offer (VEO) to eligible employees in participating teams. According to GamesIndustry.biz, the offer was announced in a memo from EVP and chief people officer Amy Coleman. It covers staff in the US, UK, Canada and India at level 70 and below, and it is time-limited.

The Verge reports that up to 60,000 employees could be eligible. Sources familiar with the situation told the outlet that staff in numerous teams qualify, including AI experiences, Copilot, CoreAI, Windows + Devices, Xbox, finance and human resources. Microsoft's cloud + AI, MicrosoftAI, and corporate, external, and legal affairs teams are said to be only partially participating.

In the memo, Coleman said the VEO is new for Microsoft and that the company intends to learn from it. She said there is no one-size-fits-all approach for every team or employee, and described the offer as a way to add flexibility. She tied it to what the company learned from the Voluntary Retirement Program earlier this year.

That retirement offer was limited to around 9,000 US employees whose age and years of service added up to at least 70. GamesIndustry.biz notes the new offer follows layoffs in July and September, mostly across Xbox and commercial sales.

For affected developers, the details of eligibility and terms are not in the reporting so far. The team lists come from unnamed sources, not from Microsoft's memo, so eligibility will depend on the individual team and the terms Microsoft sets.