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Microsoft Windows IT Technology

Microsoft To Lay Off 700 Employees Next Week, Report Says (geekwire.com) 168

According to a report by Business Insider (Warning: may be paywalled), Microsoft will cut about 700 jobs in conjunction with its quarterly earnings release next week. GeekWire reports: The latest layoffs are part of the company's previously announced plan to cut about 2,850 roles globally during its current fiscal year, according to the Business Insider report. The company declined to comment this afternoon, but we understand the report to be accurate, based on our own sources. Next week's cuts will be spread across a variety of job functions inside the company. The company's previous job cuts have come in areas including its smartphone business and global sales team. Microsoft announced its largest cuts in July 2014, eliminating 18,000 jobs, or 14 percent of the company at the time.
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Microsoft To Lay Off 700 Employees Next Week, Report Says

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  • by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 21, 2017 @08:11AM (#53710303)
    700 employees reach end of life. Support terminated.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 21, 2017 @08:22AM (#53710325)

    It's the way of big companies. The same thing happened in IBM and Nokia. The management gets bonuses based on short term goals. They start to cut the long term investment. They fail to do the research needed to deliver good products their customers need. They start to cheat their customers. After some years the business sufffers from loss of revenue. Only by cutting costs can they keep the profits. The management gets bonuses based on short term goals.

    Quite early in the cycle you start filtering out so that the best people who can leave do leave and the worst people who can't leave but don't mind sacrificing their friends fight their way to the top. Microsoft ceased being critical years ago. It ceased being important recently. Soon it will cease being relevant. Speaking as a veteran of such a spiral (which is why I have to post anon), if you are good and you are working there get out now whilst having Microsoft on your CV still won't block your possibility to work elsewhere.

    • by Grishnakh ( 216268 ) on Saturday January 21, 2017 @08:41AM (#53710355)

      This is some seriously delusional thinking. Microsoft not critical or relevant? What are you smoking?

      First off, IBM is still here if you haven't noticed. They got out of PCs, but they still do lots of other stuff and are a huge and profitable company.

      But back to MS: they absolutely are critical and relevant, because everyone's PC runs on their software. That isn't going to change, probably ever. If Windows 10 couldn't convince people to dump them, nothing will. They might not have gotten anywhere in mobile devices, but that doesn't matter because they still have their Windows and Office cash cows, and those aren't going anywhere, and there's no threats to them (do you see businesses switching all their workstations to OSX or Linux? Nope).

      MS is doing the right thing: cut employees, and cut all long-term investment, and just keep slapping some new lipstick on the Windows and Office pigs. Corporations in particular will happily continue to pay through the nose for MS's enterprise products, and consumers are happy to use Windows 10 with its built-in spyware and advertising which MS makes money from indirectly. MS doesn't need to invest long-term, they just need to keep milking their cash cows. They can do this indefinitely, because the whole Windows 10 experience has proven, without a doubt, that customers simply will not leave that platform no matter what, and no matter how much it costs them.

      • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

        by ClaraBow ( 212734 )

        But back to MS: they absolutely are critical and relevant, because everyone's PC runs on their software. .

        Seriously, when you use hyperbole and straight-out lie, I stop listening. There are a lot of PCs that don't run on Windows. Millions run Mac OS, Various Linux distros, and Chrome Os is making a huge dent in the educational market. Windows and MS Office isn't as important and prevalent as they used to be. They are a hugely important company, but they are not as influential on the PC market as they used to be.

        • What percentage of PCs don't run Windows?

          • by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 21, 2017 @10:07AM (#53710637)

            Well, if we can trust Slashdot's recent reporting then about 6% run OS X or macOS [slashdot.org], and a measly 2% run Linux [slashdot.org]. Of course, they're both totally irrelevant compared to Windows 10 with 24%, Windows 7 with 48%, Windows 8.1 with 7%, and Windows XP with 9% [slashdot.org].

            So probably less than 10% of PCs don't run Windows, which obviously means about 90% or more do.

            I don't know where the hell this ClaraBow is coming from, and why that awful comment got modded up. It's not "hyperbole" or a "straight-out lie" to say that nearly every PC uses Windows, when it turns out that 90% or more do.

            Speaking of hyperbole, the only hyperbole I see are statements like "There are a lot of PCs that don't run on Windows.", and "Chrome Os is making a huge dent", and "MS Office isn't as important and prevalent as they used to be.", and "they [Microsoft] are not as influential on the PC market as they used to be.".

            • Hyperbole is saying "everyone's PC", whereas you tweaked that to say "nearly every PC". The original unedited statement stands as hyperbole.

          • by Kergan ( 780543 )

            What proportion of internet users use a PC to begin with?

            Hint: http://marketingland.com/digit... [marketingland.com]

          • by lgw ( 121541 )

            What percentage of PCs don't run Windows?

            Where I work, one of the "big 5" tech companies, about 5% do run Windows. That's a higher percent then you'll find at Google or (obviously) Apple. Windows is vanishing from tech companies. That's a good sign that in a generation it will be vanishing everywhere else.

        • by Anonymous Coward

          Oh please! Linux zealots live and breath hyperbole and lies. Granted, he should have said "an overwhelming majority" instead of "everyone", but his point still stands.

        • by DogDude ( 805747 )
          Millions run Mac OS, Various Linux distros, and Chrome Os is making a huge dent in the educational market.

          Uh, no, that's not true. You're lying.
          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
          • What is true is that Chrome HAS made a huge dent in the school market (particularly the university market - I was surprised about that). Uni students who run Windows are mostly doing it from home, for things like games.
        • The company's previous job cuts have come in areas including its smartphone business and global sales team.

          Microsoft makes smartphones? Who knew?

      • by c ( 8461 ) <beauregardcp@gmail.com> on Saturday January 21, 2017 @10:03AM (#53710625)

        But back to MS: they absolutely are critical and relevant, because everyone's PC runs on their software.

        Their problem, though, is that everyone's PC runs on their old software just as well (if not better) than their new software.

        What the Windows 10 debacle has shown is that the old stuff is good enough that the only way they can push the new stuff to a reasonable fraction of their users is to essentially force it on them, for free.

        At the same time, efforts to diversify into other areas have not been, to put it charitably, as successful as they would have liked.

        I'll agree that they're still critical and relevant, but at the same time, they're the least critical and most irrelevant than any other time in the history of the PC.

        • At the same time, efforts to diversify into other areas have not been, to put it charitably, as successful as they would have liked.

          I'll agree that they're still critical and relevant, but at the same time, they're the least critical and most irrelevant than any other time in the history of the PC.

          Relevant quote:

          ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

          Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'

          Because for some strange reason, humans need to believe that what is, is always how it will be.

          Microsoft is on most business computers (with some very notable and important exceptions) so Microsoft will always be number one, world without end, amen.

          But that isn't how it works, no matter how much some of us demand stasis.

          I don't have a dog in this pissing contest, as I use and enjoy OSX (now MacO

          • IOW, the faithful will in the not too distant future will be able to prove their loyalty with their wallets, forever and ever, world without end, amen. We'll see how that works out. It won't take all that long until you have paid much more for your Windows machine than that stupid hipster and his "overpriced" Mac.

            I'm quite sure Windows isn't going anywhere for at least the next quarter-century, especially in business computing. We've had alternatives now for ages, but they just don't get any adoption. Cu

        • by phantomfive ( 622387 ) on Saturday January 21, 2017 @12:35PM (#53711287) Journal

          At the same time, efforts to diversify into other areas have not been, to put it charitably, as successful as they would have liked.

          No, they making money by the bucket-load. Check it out, the new face of Microsoft [computerworld.com]. They missed mobile, but they've managed to diversify sufficiently into other areas that they are now more profitable than any time in the company's history.

          Good riddance to Windows, though. May it die a quick death.

        • What the Windows 10 debacle has shown is that the old stuff is good enough that the only way they can push the new stuff to a reasonable fraction of their users is to essentially force it on them, for free.

          That doesn't make them any less relevant. If they just up and disappeared who will patch the many thousands of holes that remain in the system? If anything Microsoft is more relevant than ever, and the entire world should be paying attention to them around about the time that Windows 7 reaches end of life. The way they approach that problem will have more affect on the world than anything Apple or other "flavour of the modern mobile world" could do.

      • do you see businesses switching all their workstations to OSX or Linux? Nope.

        Um, that's not entirely correct.

        Remember that little corporation, IBM, you were talking about? They are busily deploying Macs (running MacOS, in case you wondered) at the rate of 1,300 new installs per week (now actually 1,900), and to the tune of 90,000 as of October, 2016 [9to5mac.com], and projected to be 100,000 units by the end of last year [appleinsider.com] (now actually 130,000).

        And if you read the second linked-to article, you will note that it is the employees that decide whether they want a Mac, and if so, they receive a new

      • Microsoft in the last few years seems out of touch, is hostile to its own customers, is playing catcup and desparately trying to figure out what the next big thing is, and copies its competitors. With Satya at the helm they just seem... confused. Meanwhile PC use is dropping in the home, but still strong in the office, while Microsoft keeps focusing on the home while ignoring the office. The only place they are critical is the office, but the office is finding ways to work around Microsoft, like staying

    • by ranton ( 36917 )

      There is no sign of a death spiral in these layoffs. The article cites 1600 job openings Microsoft currently has posted on LinkedIn alone, so they are still growing. And each of these employees has 60 days to find new internal positions at Microsoft, so if their skills are still relevant they don't necessarily even need to leave Microsoft.

      This is simply sign of a transitioning company that knows it cannot be successful simply sticking to the status quo.

    • Death spiral continuing? LOL. Why is MSFT stock at all time highs?
  • by Anonymous Coward

    I think Microsoft is saying one thing in public and doing just the opposite. It has not improved its mobile position in the least with Windows 10. Universal Apps is a flop on the desktop and even Xbox is selling half of what Playstation is for Sony. Windows 10 probably can't be considered a flop, but it certainly shows much in value to its users as sales flat lined after the free upgrade period. Even the Surface line appears to be struggling to expand in a market where cheap PC's are the only thing propping

    • There is the business services unit that I still see very active.
      I expect Microsoft is going to be like IBM dropping its consumer products and focus more on B2B products and relationships.
      End use technology is really too cheap to focus software for.
      Back when a good PC cost 2k. Putting an extra couple hundred bucks for OS and software was normal.
      Today with PCs under $500 and will last you 6-10 years before going out of date means conserned are not willing to invest software on such a cheap system.

      • by JustNiz ( 692889 )

        >> I expect Microsoft is going to be like IBM dropping its consumer products

        We can only hope. The moment that AAA games developers finally end their windows exclusivity and take Linux seriously I'll be formatting my Windows partition, since I only use it for gaming and already do everything else under Linux. Been saying that for decades now though.

  • by Futurepower(R) ( 558542 ) on Saturday January 21, 2017 @08:40AM (#53710353) Homepage
    Microsoft top managers decided to try to force everyone who isn't technically knowledgeable to move to the Windows 10 operating system so that Microsoft could offer "Apps", like the Android and Apple cell phone systems.

    Microsoft ignored the fact that trying to sell "Apps" when people have work to do on their computers is not appropriate.

    Windows 10 tries to force Microsoft's control, imitating the cell phone companies that, more and more, take control away from the customer and user.

    That acted as extremely effective negative advertising. Almost every technically knowledgeable person is now aware of what they consider extreme abuse.

    In my opinion, the negative advertising damages Microsoft and indicates that Microsoft top managers are not competent.
  • by Anonymous Coward

    Fire the teams of developers that were responsible for Windows 8 and 10. Thanks to these guys, the Windows codebase is forever screwed. By far and large, the Windows 7 operating system is/was the BEST version ever released by Microsoft. It's a bit ironic, considering how "bad" we thought Windows Vista was at the time; in comparison to 8 and 10, even Vista seems like it's gold. The user interface was very functional, and pleasant to use. Microsoft wasn't hell bent on combining the PC and tablet worlds, this

  • by Anonymous Coward

    Since the advent and maturation of the virtual machine, the base OS ju7st has not mattered. You can change OS as easily as drinking a coke - unless you are using the MS hypervisor Hyper V. What will keep MS in the running is Adobe products. There are no near Linux/OSX/Chrome equivalents. Eventually Adobe will port to Linux; but the market is not there yet.

    As far as MS cutting employees, one question that intrudes on my mind is how many of those soon to be dismissed employees are H-1B's. I put my money on no

    • Since the advent and maturation of the virtual machine, the base OS ju7st has not mattered. You can change OS as easily as drinking a coke - unless you are using the MS hypervisor Hyper V. What will keep MS in the running is Adobe products. There are no near Linux/OSX/Chrome equivalents. Eventually Adobe will port to Linux; but the market is not there yet.

      As far as MS cutting employees, one question that intrudes on my mind is how many of those soon to be dismissed employees are H-1B's. I put my money on none/zero/zilch. This becomes important because every year MS is screaming for more H-1B's; yet in this round of cut employees there are up to 700 qualified employees.

      What? Where are you?

      The lovely and always happy-to-phone-home 'Creative Suite' runs just as poorly on OS X as it does on Windows.

      Further, you might be surprised about all of the high end creative software that runs on Linux. Interestingly, that stuff is so high end that if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it.

  • by Anonymous Coward

    Let the heads continue to roll, can't wait until we're rid of them. No other company in the history of mankind have been so detrimental to society in all kinds of ways, ranging from lost opportunities from market abuse to lost productivity thanks to their shoddy products. Die, mofos.

  • by Lumpy ( 12016 ) on Saturday January 21, 2017 @11:31AM (#53710971) Homepage

    They need to lay off 700 executives.

    Saves more money and fixes a big problem with Microsoft... They are top heavy as hell

    • Don't worry, Donald Trump will save all those jobs, personally. Just like he's going to make coal relevant again and remove all factory automation.

  • by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Saturday January 21, 2017 @12:47PM (#53711365)
    with layoffs. Believe it or not this is the result of deregulation of stock trading. It used to be companies couldn't buy their own stock (what with it being stock manipulation and all).That got changed during Reagan and when it did it started the trend to compensate executives with stocks; which in turn created all these perverse incentives for short term stock gains so the CEOs could boost their salaries. This is one effect of that. The constant mergers & acquisitions are another. It's one of those things like repealing Glass-Steagall that pretty much warped our entire economy.

    The lesson? If you find that the behavior the regulation was meant to stop has stopped; well, maybe, just maybe the reason is there was a regulation to stop it.
    • Except now we're going to be 4 or 8 years with the executive and legislature convinced that all regulation is evil. Possibly the judicial will go that way too. Time for return of the robber barons.

      • if the young folks, blacks and latinos who stayed home for Hilary show up for the Mid Terms then we'll get gridlock. There's a ton of voters who just want congress doing nothing and vote for whatever side doesn't have the presidency. The real question is will they show?
  • He can save 175 of those jobs by paying Microsoft $7000 per job!

  • I was working at Nokia Mobile Phones when MS took us over. One week before the deal closed they were saying "Don't worry. Your jobs are secure!". Two weeks after, they laid off something like 20,000 of us... I believe MS like I believe Donald Drumph - not at all! 700 is probably just the start.
    • Companies sometimes lie to the managers in order to do this, they don't want the workers to see worry in their boss' face and ruin morale before it's time to crush it. It also causes the workers to be furious at their bottom line managers instead of directing the anger at the board and executives.

The unfacts, did we have them, are too imprecisely few to warrant our certitude.

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