It wasn't just sales, it was cyber security as well.
My husband just got laid off yesterday afternoon.
I can't stand when the truth isn't told, why do they need to spin it this way - it's unethical and it's just plain wrong. Misleading the public and the employee is simply unacceptable and given the size and importance of Microsoft this is just perplexing.
among the bigger cos, msft, intel and google do not a great deal of engineering work in india, so its not that stuff is being offshored enmasse. maybe the work just went away or some AI-droid will take over in concert with a ML-droid - they can change their voice to match any country or gender and recent experiment by google reveals AI becomes ruthless in negotiation games as they mature up.
it would be very interesting to analyze the demographics of the layoff. Think about it: people who are more familiar with marketing and selling on-premises software solutions (vs. cloud solutions) have been around for awhile. In other words, they are likely older workers - you know, the expensive kind whose salaries have risen over the years, and whose healthcare is increasingly expensive for the company. So while it's 'just business', it's also a very convenient and safe way for Microsoft to give legions of older, more expensive, and otherwise 'protected' workers the heave-ho under the guise of the company simply adapting to changing customer demand (ie, for cloud-based solutions). If you think their business model is anything other than draconian and, frankly, vicious, you haven't been on the receiving end of moves like that. I speak from experience.
Thanks @1jai good points on COBRA - it's outrageously expensive. When my wife got laid off last year we went with Obamacare at 50% of the cost... Not sure what's going on right now and if that's still an option but at 1.5K/mo for COBRA things just do not add up...
On a practical note avoid the Msft cobra at $1500 month. I know you panic and want the safe option, but it will eat your $$ and you need to switch anyway. If you go cobra you may be locked in until next year (layoff is qualifying event, then start of year).
Look at silver plans on exchange - they are in fact no worse for most things and will be way cheaper. Also pick up delta dental. Also estimate your income based on the 6mnths you just had so likely cost will be lower still.
I meant I got laid off in the big one of 2014 :) not 2017 :)
It's not unethical or wrong, it's business and at-will employment. As a person in tech, I've experienced being laid-off and job outsourcing - you have to expect and be prepared for either, that's just how it is.
When Microsoft has these massive layoffs, they add in other departments or teams, but will identify it as a sales reorg layoff because that's the majority comprising it. I left Microsoft on my own free will, knowing sooner or later, layoffs would affect me. Plus, I didn't care for the country club entitlement some folks there possess.
It would drive me mad working for one of these big companies that constantly lays off its workers. That has to be miserable just constantly fearing the axe is going to fall and you'll be out of a job. It's easier when you're young and job hopping isn't as difficult, but let me tell you, when you get older and you have a family, mortgage, medical bills, etc, the thought of losing your job is scary. Microsoft has been awful since Nadella took over (at least that's how it seems to me, it may have been just as bad before). Or course, nobody owes anyone a job, but these same corporate asshats expect their employees undying loyalty while treating them like a dollar amount on a spreadsheet. I don't understand how they maintain a positive corporate culture or garner any kind of loyalty when everyone knows they're totally expendable.
I know I'm straying off topic, but it makes me sick to my stomach every time I see another big tech firm go through and gut thousands of jobs. I work in IT, so it hits close to home. Thankfully, my organization has never done layoffs nor will they allow it, but our current CIO would love nothing more than to gut our entire IT department (that's already run on a shoestring budget and woefully understaffed) and outsource everything to India...where he's from.