Microsoft lays off 2,100 employees as part of its planned 18,000 job cuts

it cannot hurt. microsoft is full of dead wood. This is why they lag in everything. They missed the smart phone transition, they missed the tablet transition, they seem to be missing the car software transition, they are missing the weareable tech transition, they are missing the VR transition. A company that dares call itself a tech company, with over 80 billion dollars in liquid cash, who misses again and again is full of people who honestly, need to be fired at once.

I think you're using two different, unrelated points. I doubt the simple tech on the lowest level has any influence on the large decision the big execs make. They are definitely bloated, but that affects other factors.

Helpful to who. These are people with families and bills to pay, how is this in any way shape or for helpful, especially in today's economy. Posted via Windows Phone Central App

& they wont get no sympathy from my black @ss:) I have had to do more with less (almost nothing). I guess it will be more mass suicides. PPL that get m/s saleries cant adjust to making slightly above min wage so they sucide. Still the rest of the world moves on.

What do you think of layoffs ???
Yesss its too good we are feeling fantastic :/

Good artists copy, great artists steal..   This comment was funny in the last article about the lay offs

yeah becuase everyone read that article /s  *rolling eyes* (only becuase you read it, it doesn't mean everyone did, or it's clicking refresh in WPcentral to see if there are new articles) and please.... it's the same question John asked and he/she is answering in sarcastic way.. it's not even "to be funny" it's because it's an incorrect question for OBVIOUS reasons, even if it was enough the question once, he decided to put it twice... (did you miss the :/ face? oh yeah that's a funny face)   but... why two articles about the same thing? it was enough with the one yesterday or two days ago? is there going to be a third article about this?    "the layoff employess pack their stuff in nice boxes Microsoft provided and leave home, some cry and some look worried, some seem to have new jobs waiting for them while other don't. What do you think about this second wave of layoffs at Microsoft?" I'm looking for it.

It's an outrage!!!!! The first one was acceptable, but this second wave is just too much!!!!!

It is 18000 planned. Wave two and three are party of the original group.

...........

My point is your initial complaint makes no sense. You knew this round was coming...

It was total sarcasm as in how else would we react? We are supposed to be happy? The only options are pity or saddened or something along those lines. Gah, you suck at the Internet.

I'm pretty sure it's you who sucks at the Internet, given that you gave no indication of sarcasm in your original post.

Then you must not read the internet much. Because anyone who lives on the Internet like I do tends to be able to detect sarcasm without tags needing to be put around the text in question.

Sorry that everyone is not as good as you when it comes to reading the 'internet'. Where did you learn all of these things about reading the 'internet'. I would love to be as good at it as you are. I also would love to know how to intelligently reply to a question asked in this 'internet' in a way that actually drives conversation forward instead of looking like someone trying to spread sarcasm... /s

Sarcasm is not allowed on the interwebs!!!!!

Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do online? /s

The five exclamatory marks are a clear indication!!!!!

Making way for the staff of cyogenmod ; )

not sure if serious?

How is more than one wave unacceptable. They announced they were going to cut 18,000 jobs, so that's what they are doing. Would you prefer they just dump 18,000 people in one day?

*sigh* it really helps to read every response in a thread before making comments.

*sigh* maybe that proves the point that youre the one that is in the wrong. It shows how many people agree that you're naive enough to believe that sarcasm is always either implied, or easily conveyed through printed type.

Keep in mind Microsoft has more employees than Google, Apple, ECT.

Microsoft also has a lot more products (by a huge degree), so they need more employees.

Evidently not....

If it has to happen to strengthen the company, then so be it. I feel bad for the ones left go, but they will find employment in another tech company

Good Luck to the People envolved.

Well people dident buy zunes. People aren't buying windows phones or tablets. Xbox sales are below expectation. This is how it works stop buying Sony

That's hardly the reason, don't think you even bothered reading the original story of my Ms is laying off people. Suggest you go and read up, or you are looking a bit foolish

Actually Xbox sales are higher than Xbox and Xbox 360. Sales are great. Also tablets are doing well, both Surface and OEMs like Dell and Asus making Windows tablets.

It's a shame people didn't but Zunes.  They were fantastic devices.  Windows Phone will eventually make it, it's being financed unofficially by Android makers who pay a fee to MS for every Android device they make.  XBox is selling above the sales of XBOX 360 and PS3 in simmilar periods after there respective launches, they are however selling less then the PS4.  I wouldn't worry about the PS4 because Sony doesn;t have the money to court big name developers to it's system.

You gotta do what you gotta do.

I feel bad for the people losing their jobs; I wouldn't wish that on anyone. However, this has to be looked at from a business perspective. I wish these people well.

"What do you think about this second wave of layoffs at Microsoft?" They're great! The more, the better! /s Seriously, what do you think we think about lay-offs in general...?

Heart goes out to them. Hopefully Microsoft execs they know what they are doing, I am worried for the former Nokia employees, I hope they keep the brains which came up with the offline navigation, optics and the Lumia.

Everyone gets a free windows phone and copy of Minecraft when they are fired right?

Minecraft? hell no, they get free Xbox One with HALO and a small note under XBox One writing "We will hire you again once we had better experince to the customer, and now you can be a program, software and app tester, we will send you free game to your account, pleasse email your xbox live account ID to xxxx at http://microsoft.com"

I agree. Also, everyone that's born deserves the right to procreate, multiple times over. Just ask a Somalian woman. However, please refrain from asking someone from an Eastern European civilization, they're too smart for that nonsense. Numbers on that continent have been dwindling.

That was only for China because they were protesting : )  , everyone else gets a real severance package for good behavior........ I do feel for all of the employees, however, we must remember the these people probably paid way above average and have/had the ability to store funds way, minimum of 1 years living expensed, etc. If they chose to live above their means or think the good thing never come to an end, its partly their fault......Life even ends and if you don't purchase life insurance, then the families will be left with a financial burden.

Layoffs on a Thursday?

Last July's layoffs were announced on a Thursday

I miss my Zune. A 5" Zune with 1080p and Dolby surround sound , front facing speakers, the works, would have been awesome

Non sequitur much?

Yea that was off topic wasn't it, perhaps I should read the forum etiquette thread once again...that I headlined btw

No, that was fine. It's acceptable to rave about the Zune on any site, at any time. Carry on.

Seriously, the same question again - 'what do you think about the layoffs?'

Please tell me the entire Xbox Music team was let go

I vote for that. Seriously!!!

+820

^this

^This XD

Over 100k staff... Wow

I guess this means one more round to go and then MS will be a lean, mean fighting machine. The Jean Claude Van Damme of software delivering round house kicks to Apple/Google.

You mean the old school JCVD right?

Why does every story you guys write have to enter in a "what do you think"? It's annoying as hell.

It's a way to foster discussion.  You could, of course, not read the stories if it annoys you that badly.

Does the figure 112,900 includes clerks and sweepers??

Nope. Microsoft contracts out most of those things - cleaning, dining staff, even a lot of the more basic IT.

I know it's not related and this was planned months ago but it looks pretty bad when they spend 2.5 billion to buy a game company that's only made 1 GAME and makes massive layoffs all during the same week.  Hopefully those folks impacted will land on their feet quickly.  Having experienced multiple layoffs myself it's terribly stressful.

They stupidly overpaid. Like most of their acquisitions.

and how does that affect you? oh yeah nothing. it's not like it came out from your pocket, Microsoft have the money to do that. so what? it's obvious companies would also sell more expensive to Microsoft for being "big" just like anything. it happens in sports and anything, if you are a big team, you will get more expensive deals. because "if the big company wants it, they have to give us more" but then again, it doesn't affect you, and you are probably jealous you will never have the money Microsoft does and can "overpaid".

well technically he can be a shareholder therefore it does "affect him". Would the dividend increase have been below average without this aquisition? we don't know but given MSFT is a public company, anybody who owns shares, and anybody can, is affected if MSFT overpays.

The layoffs aren't really about reducing spending, they're intended to trim some fat by eliminating positions that are no longer necessary. Microsoft is still hiring like crazy in other areas. Some of the people getting laid off from these groups will end up in open positions in other groups (unless their reviews were mediocre, of course).

Like I said abve, I feel sorry for those laid off, but response to your statement, Microsoft never said they didn't have any money to spend, what the said was they were trimming redundant positions and bringing department closer together instead of on individual islands where the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.

i think most of the employees that has been layoff are doing less jobs than they should, or the team is big, strong, fast enough to cut off them

It's a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it's a depression when you lose yours.

Why do it in waves? That can't be good for morale. Like a Band-Aid, do it once and quick.

If you remember, those employees laid off in the first round said the received notice prior to the announcement, so I'm sure these did too! They may have been given the opportunity to finish projects they were working on and receive checks a little longer.

Not really. Many employees who were cut in this round found out yesterday morning or afternoon, not in advance. Telling people in advance usually doesn't happen, for a lot of different reasons. It *does* happen sometimes, but it's not common.

I hope Xbox music team is in the list

That's pretty sad.

I think John needs to stop ending most of his columns with "what do you think?"  It is time to reach in the grab bag and try for some better ways to close an article.  I like his stuff, but come on "what do you think" about people being let go.  It sucks.   

If you cannot facilitate a discussion after your column/paper/any kind of writing, you are not a very good writer.

Microsoft (with their "people-oriented" slogan) is a corporate, running on our expenditures. Lets don't make it look like a god or something. It's about people losing their livelihood. Imagine yourself in that position.. At least this kind of article shouldn't encourage the comments like "it's good for business" or even worse "you are jealous because Microsoft has the kind of money that you don't".. Feeling better or OK about others getting hurt. We are still human beings right? And there exists this thing called "Karma"? Screw the bigger picture for once (at least when the bigg-as.s corporate not caring about people)!

No one likes to see layoffs but no one should assume they have a job with the same company forever.

I plan on working for Microsoft gaming division, hopefully I don't get layoff in the future

New spaces for new energies.

Who was laid off so we can think about it?

will this affect Microsoft's perfomance I mean bcoz employees will be ar fear or would be de motivated as they might lose their job.

People get fired all the time... why would you be afraid? it was known Microsoft would do this... if you don't work well with "the fear of being fired" then you will be fired.. don't you think? it's not like Microsoft is firing everyone all the time like this and won't probably do it in years, but people come and go, that happens in any job.

You're as always, clueless. Yes everybody can get fired at any time, however the prospect of being next as part of corporate culling is not good for morale because you may very well be very good, yet your entire division or building, or branch or whatever can all get cut. If you have dependents, or just career plans, you may want to plan your future instead of HR telling you a computer decided your job is no longer needed. Therefore the amount of problems this policy creates goes beyond your typical corporate turn over. Then again, if you actually had a job, you'd know :)

Lumia 2100 confirmed

Your crusty butthole, Confirmed.

What do I think? All layoffs are disturbing. But these talented well trained people will find other work.

Well, that Minecraft acquisition isn't going to pay for itself... /s

MS again getting some bad publicity in the press. On the news they make it seem like Microsoft is doing another round of firing yet it is part of the 18000 announced a while back. Company still employes almost 114k . Good luck to all of them who were layed off and hope MS comes out better aligned for the future

They are getting severance packages... Has to be.

Best wishes and sympathies to all affected, I'm guessing most of us have been through redundancy process at sometime or another.

Hey Microsoft, when your Windows phone is sucking, and Xbox Music was created by a rhino pooping out code, you should move them into fixing stuff and not letting them go. You have the money to spare, but our patients are running out.

Patience*

they should fire the bunch and replace them with better people who don't poop rhino code.

So they hire like everyone and then once in a blue moon piss away the shit ones. It's business.

Layoff people to afford Minecraft... lol

Things change. They come and they go. Realize how BIG Microsoft is... therefore resulting in BIG layoff numbers. It's all relative....probably like your LOCAL McDonald's laying off 2-3 people. It's small numbers to Microsoft. However, coming from the perspective of us small people...it sounds huge. They will ALL find new work (if they choose) with Microsoft on their résumé...no problem. It sucks, but I'm sure they'll be ok.

Until the windows phone executives aren't out, windows phone will not turn around. I see they are still employed thus we can expect the same results from the same people: declining or flat single digit marketshare probably below 5% or lower. Well, at least windows phone users will be the 1% of something :)

+1^ Posted via Windows Phone Central App

And yet MS is recruiting coder writers in Tulsa right now.