Microsoft to lay off 2,100 staff members as part of wider 18,000 cull

Microsoft is to cut 2,100 jobs, including roles in Silicon Valley and Seattle, as part of a wider plan to cut 18,000 roles across the company.

Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, announced in July that the company planned to reduce its workforce by around 14 per cent over the course of the next year.

The move was intended to “simplify its organisation and align the recently acquired Nokia Devices & Services business with the company’s overall strategy”.

Around 13,000 employees were reportedly made redundant in July, largely impacting the Nokia handset business Microsoft acquired in April.

The latest cuts mean that 2,900 jobs are still to go in the next nine months in order to reach the 18,000 target.

Microsoft has around 127,000 employees around the world and will take a charge of between US$1.1 billion and US$1.6 billion for costs related to the cuts.

It is understood that in the current round Microsoft will cut 160 roles in California and another 750 in the Seattle area. The remainder of the job losses will be spread across different countries and teams, according to a Microsoft representative.

The latest wave of job cuts will see 50 jobs go at the Microsoft Research lab in Silicon Valley, which is also set to close.

A Microsoft representative said Microsoft’s research in the US will be consolidated to work at the company’s main campus in Redmond, Washington, as well as offices in New York and Boston.