Microsoft Employee Shares Her Manager Was Terminated During Meeting: ‘They’re Letting Go Of Good People’
Written by Tech Desk | Updated: July 3, 2025, 13:09 IST
Microsoft is laying off nearly 9,000 employees for the second time this year. The Redmond-based tech giant says the cuts are part of a broader strategy to streamline operations, reduce management layers and boost efficiency.
These layoffs affect multiple divisions globally, including Xbox and other creative teams. While Microsoft says this represents about 4 percent of its workforce, many affected employees are voicing frustration on social media.
Amanda Goodall, CEO of EdgePulse and known online as @thejobchick, has been sharing firsthand accounts of the situation. One anonymous employee described a team meeting labeled “FY26 Business Strategy” where they were informed that while the team would remain intact, their manager was being let go on the spot. “Many of my peers got similar calls and entire teams were fired in bulk… on group calls,” the employee said in a DM.
Another employee shared, “So, today of my group of 9 people at Microsoft, five of us remain. We’ve been through layoffs before – I think my 3rd day on the job, we let go of nearly 10,000 people. This is different. We’re not cutting low performers or money-losing ventures. These cuts make no sense. They’re letting go of a lot of good people who helped produce record results over the past few years.”
Goodall also posted a message from another employee:
“I’m very sad at the talent we’re letting walk out the door, including the best manager I’ve ever had in my life. I think it’s the end of the old Microsoft culture that has kept me here for more than a decade. Not liking the Amazon-style cutthroat ways we’re taking on, and I don’t care if I get fired for saying so.”
One more employee wrote, “I am profoundly saddened that over 9,000 people were laid off today across multiple studios. I had a colleague who gave well over a decade of effort, only to be dismissed coldly. Meanwhile, shareholders get giddy, and c-suites get bonuses. This needs to end.”
Microsoft has defended the move as part of an organizational restructuring. A spokesperson said, “We continue to implement organisational changes necessary to best position the company and teams for success in a dynamic marketplace.”
https://www.financialexpress.com/life/technology-microsoft-employee-shares-her-manager-was-terminated-during-meeting-theyre-letting-go-of-good-people-3901529/lite/