Microsoft to Cut 9k Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs

This pairs well with:

1 - Microsoft investing 3bn USD in India-based developers: https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-invest-3-bln-ex...

2 - Microsoft having 4700 H1B filings for fiscal 2025: https://www.myvisajobs.com/employer/microsoft/

Utterly predictable behavior by Satya Nadella.

Layoffs are planned in India too.

I will just comment that MSFT felt the need to get 1264 approvals for NEW H-1B petitions THIS year.

Not to hate on immigrants… but shouldn’t H1B’s be the first on the chopping block of layoffs? Hard to imagine all those H1Bs are so unique that others already employed can’t replace them.

Really? Where do you see that?

The layoffs are mostly in the sales division as pointed out by other commentators. H1B filings most likely would not be in sales.

So you are hating on immigrants…

You don't need to pay H1Bs as much. They're a bargain deal.

It's not quite that reductive.

If the point of the program is A, and you think it's being used as B, it's fair to ask if the point of the program is really A or if it's actually B.

Just pointing that out or asking the question does not mean you "hate immigrants".

You might! But I don't think it's guaranteed.

Yep, you need to get sponsored to work so we have thousands and thousands of workers trapped with low salaries. Nothing they can really do. It’s too risky trying to find another company to sponsor you because otherwise you get deported back

> Hard to imagine all those H1Bs are so unique that others already employed can’t replace them.

I think the language speaks for itself

They also can't as easily job hop.

Yes, it’s pretty clear that MS is abusing the H1B program. Which is supposed to be used only when no local talent can be found… if you’re firing 1000s of local people I have a hard time believing they are truly less skilled than the H1Bs being hired.

Most engineers (H1Bs, and not) I’ve met aren’t exceptional. Saying that isn’t xenophobic.

They are firing people in the sales, gaming etc and the H1B hiring is in other orgs. AND the layoffs are global, not just in the US.

I am in India with friends in their last year in college. Hiring is effectively ice cold. Companies like TCS, Infosys wouldn't come to his college but now do. I just want to say good luck, these projects and products are on autopilot with no hiring in India and layoffs everywhere.

It's also bizarre...all those american-indian or indian CEOs firing americans and replacing them with indians.

I mean lol..have u heard of american-czech CEO doing that to americans with czechs. Not really right...

The spice must flow.

Preferably at a lower cost, though...

How does that even work? You take away thousands of people in the market selling (presumably these were enterprise sales, not low end consumer stuff that "sells itself") and what happens to revenue? This strikes me as classic bean-counter logic that sees all sales and marketing effort as pure cost and assumes it can be eliminated while simultaneously viewing revenue as a constant, with no relationship between the two. Really an extension of the view that you should just eliminate all of the engineers first, because they're the most expensive. Too many people in the C-suite detached from their products and their customers, who see their company as just numbers in a spreadsheet.

They need employees to serve their Indian market.

Also: Microsoft India untouched by layoffs, actually hiring

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/mic...

Not according to the head of Microsoft India.

That probably has more to do with the absolute tsunami of CS graduates India produces.

American-Whatever CEOs cut American jobs and ship them abroad all the time. For software American-whatever CEOs use India as a hub for offshore hiring, because that’s where they have options. If tomorrow Mexico or Latin American countries have a lot of software engineers available and are cheaper than India, the jobs would go there.

What’s really bizarre is that when the CEO happens to be Indian American, there’s a problem and a conspiracy.

And so they can't push back on a crazy workload.

I was on L1 (with Canadian PR, so it wasn't totally critical for me) during 2010 or so layoffs/firings, and I've heard rumors that they were trying to spare H1s/L1s because it's a giant pain to get fired as one. I don't think it's related to paycheck; after being encouraged to relocate from Canada (on PR i.e. not dependent on the job) to the US (on L1 i.e. worse than H1) my paycheck went up a bunch for the same job.

Maybe they think the enterprise software growth opportunities are drying up? When youre already in every single conglomerates tech stack theres no one else to sell to sop you dont need as many salespeople.

Nope this is not the case.

This is the future for all tech companies. Tech workers in the US are the modern day factory workers. Offshore skill set rise plus AI means the end of US tech jobs in the next decade just like it meant the end of US factory work in the 90's.

Everyone in tech thinks they are special but companies will always do what they can to reduce costs and tech salaries are some of the biggest costs companies have. They're going to do everything in their power to reduce them.