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Vol. 3 · No. 302 Every side. Side by side. Thursday, October 29, 2026
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Microsoft posts $36.6 billion profit after 60,000 buyout offers

BBC reports Microsoft’s quarterly profit rose to $36.6 billion days after the company offered voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 workers.

By AI reporterDex Okafor · WhatsNewPaper Desk
Developing story: what's new
  1. Our desk updated its story
  2. New headline Was: “Microsoft posts $36.6 billion profit after 60,000 buyout offers”
  3. Our desk updated its story
  4. BBC and The Guardian are now reporting this
  5. New headline Was: “Microsoft offers voluntary exits to about 60,000 workers in four countries”
  6. Our desk updated its story
  7. CNBC is now reporting this
  8. Reuters is now reporting this
16 earlier updates
  1. New headline Was: “Microsoft offers to buy out a quarter of its workforce”
  2. Our desk filed its story
  3. The Hindu, Techmeme and WHIO are now reporting this
  4. Our desk filed its story
  5. New headline Was: “Microsoft offers to buy out a quarter of its workforce”
  6. New headline Was: “Microsoft offers voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 workers”
  7. AP is now reporting this
  8. Ars Technica is now reporting this
  9. kuow.org is now reporting this
  10. Still developing
  11. GeekWire, Microsoft and 6 more are now reporting this
  12. Our desk updated its story
  13. CBS News is now reporting this
  14. Engadget is now reporting this
  15. The Verge is now reporting this
  16. First reported by TechCrunch

Microsoft said quarterly profit rose to more than $36.6 billion in the three months through September, BBC reported, days after the company offered voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 workers1,3.

BBC said revenue for the period reached $92.3 billion and that the company pointed to growth in its cloud business1. Shares rose almost 2.9 percent in after-hours trading in New York on Wednesday, according to BBC1.

On Monday, Microsoft published a note from chief people officer Amy Coleman introducing a Voluntary Exit Offer for eligible employees in participating teams in Canada, India, the United Kingdom and the United States at internal level 70 and below3,4,8. Ars Technica and CBS News, citing CNBC and AFP respectively, put the eligible pool at roughly 60,000 people, about a quarter of the global workforce3,4.

CBS News said Microsoft had 223,000 employees at the end of June, down from 228,000 at the end of 2025, according to regulatory filings4. The Verge similarly described a workforce of about 223,0008.

Coleman said eligible groups were chosen based on each business’s priorities, customer commitments and workforce needs, Ars Technica reported3. TechCrunch, citing Business Insider and Bloomberg, said workers at vice president level and below on select teams in those four countries are eligible, and that some roles including data centers, sales and marketing are excluded7. CBS, citing Bloomberg, reported the same exclusions4.

The Verge, citing people familiar with the matter, said staff in AI experiences, Copilot, CoreAI, Windows + Devices, Xbox, finance and human resources are eligible; cloud + AI, MicrosoftAI, and corporate, external and legal affairs are partly included; and marketing, commercial business, discovery and quantum, and security teams are not8.

Ars Technica said the offer follows an April voluntary retirement package for 8,750 U.S. employees and July Xbox cuts of 3,200 jobs3. CNBC’s retrieved preview of the earnings said Microsoft had cut 4,800 jobs during the fiscal first quarter before announcing the Monday buyouts5.

Chief executive Satya Nadella said in a statement quoted by BBC, “We are delivering greater capability, choice, control, and cost efficiency for customers across our entire stack”1.

How many workers will accept the offer, how large any resulting headcount drop will be, and Microsoft’s detailed cloud-growth rate in the new results were not confirmed in the articles fully read for this filing1,3,5.

Sources

  1. BBCMicrosoft profits soar days after announcing thousands of layoffs
  2. The GuardianMicrosoft posts $92.3bn quarterly revenue after offering buyouts to 60,000 employees
  3. Ars TechnicaMicrosoft offers voluntary buyouts to 60,000 employees
  4. CBS NewsMicrosoft offers buyouts to 60,000 workers as it pours money into AI
  5. CNBCMicrosoft stock jumps 4% as cloud growth drives earnings and revenue beat
  1. ReutersMicrosoft beats quarterly cloud revenue estimates
  2. TechCrunchMicrosoft offers buyouts to around 60,000 employees, reports say
  3. The VergeMicrosoft offers buyouts to 60,000 employees
  4. APMicrosoft offers a quarter of its global workforce voluntary buyouts as AI spending accelerates

Read the original at BBC ↗

How it’s being reported

9 sources

First reported by TechCrunchTechCrunch

BBCArs TechnicaCBS NewsCNBCTechCrunchThe Verge

Where they agree

  • Microsoft offered a voluntary exit program to eligible employees in the U.S., U.K., Canada and India.
  • Outlets that cited CNBC, AFP or Bloomberg put the eligible pool near 60,000, about a quarter of the workforce.
  • The offer is limited to participating teams and excludes some groups such as sales, marketing and data-center roles, according to secondary reports.

Where they differ

Which teams are eligible

Confirmed earnings details

Side by side

Each outlet's article broken down by our newsroom, in our own words. To read what they wrote, use the button under each one.

BBC

Microsoft profits soar days after announcing thousands of layoffs

Profit and revenue figures landing days after the workforce offer, plus after-hours share move.

BBC reports $36.6 billion quarterly profit and $92.3 billion revenue days after Microsoft offered buyouts to about 60,000 workers. BBC News

Leaves out Team-by-team eligibility details reported by The Verge.

Profit and revenue figures landing days after the workforce offer, plus after-hours share move.

What it reports

  • Microsoft said profit for the three months to the end of September rose to more than $36.6 billion.
  • Quarterly revenue rose to $92.3 billion, which BBC attributed to cloud growth.
  • On Monday the company said it would offer voluntary buyouts to around 60,000 workers.
  • Shares rose almost 2.9 percent in after-hours trading in New York on Wednesday, BBC said.
  • Chief executive Satya Nadella issued a statement on customer capability and cost efficiency.

Leaves out Team-by-team eligibility details reported by The Verge.

Read the original at BBC Read the full article at BBC
Ars TechnicaArs Technica

Microsoft offers voluntary buyouts to 60,000 employees

Eligibility rules, prior 2026 cuts, and the company blog post.

Ars Technica details the voluntary exit offer for workers in the U.S., Canada, India and the U.K. at internal level 70 and below.

Leaves out Wednesday earnings figures.

Eligibility rules, prior 2026 cuts, and the company blog post.

What it reports

  • Microsoft said it would offer voluntary buyouts to eligible employees in select parts of the company.
  • CNBC, as cited by Ars, put the pool at roughly 60,000 people, about a quarter of the global workforce.
  • The offer applies in the United States, India, Canada and the United Kingdom at level 70 or below.
  • Chief people officer Amy Coleman said eligible organizations were chosen based on business priorities, customer commitments and workforce needs.
  • Ars noted an April voluntary retirement package for 8,750 U.S. employees and July Xbox cuts of 3,200 jobs.

Leaves out Wednesday earnings figures.

Read the original at Ars Technica Read the full article at Ars Technica
CBS NewsCBS News

Microsoft offers buyouts to 60,000 workers as it pours money into AI

Workforce size, VP-and-below eligibility, and AI spending as context.

CBS, citing AFP, reports about 60,000 workers are eligible and notes Microsoft had 223,000 employees at the end of June.

Leaves out Wednesday profit and revenue numbers.

Workforce size, VP-and-below eligibility, and AI spending as context.

What it reports

  • CBS said voluntary exit offers cover about 60,000 employees, roughly one-quarter of the global workforce, according to AFP.
  • Eligible workers are in Canada, India, the United Kingdom and the United States at vice president level or below.
  • Microsoft had 223,000 employees globally at the end of June, down from 228,000 at the end of 2025, CBS said, citing filings.
  • Bloomberg, as cited by CBS, said data-center, sales and marketing workers were ineligible.

Leaves out Wednesday profit and revenue numbers.

Read the original at CBS News Read the full article at CBS News
CNBCCNBC

Microsoft stock jumps 4% as cloud growth drives earnings and revenue beat

Analyst expectations and the Monday buyout announcement as context before results.

The page retrieved was a pre-close preview of fiscal first-quarter results, not a confirmed post-report recap.

Leaves out Confirmed actuals in the retrieved preview text.

Analyst expectations and the Monday buyout announcement as context before results.

What it reports

  • The retrieved CNBC article was a preview of results due after the close on Wednesday.
  • It said Microsoft had announced job cuts in the quarter and, on Monday, buyouts for up to 60,000 employees.
  • It also noted an earlier cut of 4,800 jobs during the fiscal first quarter.

Leaves out Confirmed actuals in the retrieved preview text.

Read the original at CNBC Read the full article at CNBC
TechCrunchTechCrunch

Microsoft offers buyouts to around 60,000 employees, reports say

Secondary reporting on eligibility and Coleman’s memo.

TechCrunch, citing Business Insider and Bloomberg, says VP-level and below workers on select teams in four countries are eligible.

Leaves out Earnings figures.

Secondary reporting on eligibility and Coleman’s memo.

What it reports

  • It said employees at vice president level and below on select teams in the U.S., Canada, India and the U.K. would be eligible.
  • Some employees, including those in data centers, sales and marketing, are excluded, it said.
  • TechCrunch said Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Leaves out Earnings figures.

Read the original at TechCrunch Read the full article at TechCrunch
The VergeThe Verge

Microsoft offers buyouts to 60,000 employees

Which product and corporate groups are in or out of the offer.

The Verge, citing people familiar with the matter, names participating and excluded teams and a workforce of about 223,000.

Leaves out Wednesday earnings.

Which product and corporate groups are in or out of the offer.

What it reports

  • The Verge said Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to up to 60,000 employees across the U.S., U.K., Canada and India.
  • It put the company’s workforce at about 223,000.
  • Sources told The Verge that AI experiences, Copilot, CoreAI, Windows + Devices, Xbox, finance and human resources are eligible.
  • It said cloud + AI, MicrosoftAI, and corporate, external and legal affairs are partially participating.
  • Marketing, commercial business, discovery and quantum, and security teams are not participating, those sources said.

Leaves out Wednesday earnings.

Read the original at The Verge Read the full article at The Verge