
Microsoft Offers Voluntary Retirement Buyouts for First Time in 51-Year History
Microsoft is offering voluntary retirement buyouts for the first time in its 51-year history. Employees qualify if their age plus years of service equals 70 or more. The buyouts could affect about 8,750 employees, representing 7% of Microsoft's U.S. workforce of 125,000. The move provides a less abrasive alternative to mass layoffs, with Microsoft having cut 9,000 jobs last summer.