What Microsoft announced

Microsoft announced a Voluntary Exit Offer for employees in participating teams in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and India. Microsoft told GeekWire that about 60,000 employees were eligible—roughly a quarter of its workforce. Some teams are excluded, and eligibility varies by organization.

The company described the offer as a way for eligible employees considering a future outside Microsoft to make that transition with support.

What the offer includes

Reporting based on information from Microsoft describes a package comparable to standard severance, including pay based on role and tenure, continued stock vesting for a period, healthcare coverage for a fixed period, and career-transition resources. Unlike the separate retirement offer earlier in 2026, this offer has no age or service-length requirement; performance is not a factor.

Eligible employees were asked to decide by the first week of December 2026.

Eligibility is not acceptance

The approximately 60,000 figure is the number of employees the offer was open to—not a count of people who accepted it or retired. Microsoft did not provide an estimate of uptake; the number of departures from this offer was not yet known when these reports were published.

This is distinct from Microsoft’s earlier voluntary retirement program. GeekWire reported that around 30% of the employees eligible for that separate program accepted it; that figure should not be applied to the new offer.

Why the distinction matters

A voluntary offer, the group eligible to receive it, and the number who ultimately leave are different measures. Keeping them separate avoids turning a company’s workforce program into an unsupported claim about actual job losses.

This summary reflects reporting published October 26, 2026. Check the linked sources for updates on participation or the offer’s outcome.