Microsoft Has Offered Buyouts to Tens of Thousands. An Expert Says the Company Is Falling Behind in the AI Race.

Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 employees as it seeks to control costs and fund its artificial intelligence ambitions, a move that comes amid questions about whether the technology giant can keep pace with its AI rivals.

Sean Campbell, co-founder and CEO of the market research firm Cascade Insights, believes Microsoft is falling behind in the AI race, an assessment he says could influence how employees view the company's offer.

For workers who share that concern, Campbell said, a buyout could provide an opportunity to enter the job market ahead of colleagues while receiving financial support from their employer.

"If it looks like your company is falling behind and you want to 'beat your peers' to the job market, while still having a company-provided safety net, it can be a very smart move," Campbell said.

Microsoft has said the voluntary program gives employees considering a future elsewhere a supported way to leave and helps participating teams adapt to changing needs.

The offer reaches more than a quarter of the company's global workforce at a time when the company is spending heavily on the data centers, chips and other infrastructure needed to power AI products. Microsoft has forecast approximately $175 billion in capital expenditures and finance leases for the 2026 calendar year.

The company's push includes Copilot, its AI assistant, which has been incorporated into products used by consumers and businesses. Yet employees working on Copilot and AI experiences are among those eligible for the buyout, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters.

Staff in finance, human resources, Xbox and Windows + Devices are also eligible, the source said. Marketing, commercial business and security are among the units excluded from the program.

Microsoft said the time-limited offer is available to eligible employees on participating teams in the United States, Canada, India and the United Kingdom at level 70 and below. The company employed 223,000 full-time workers worldwide as of June 30, 2026.

In a staff memo, Chief People Officer Amy Coleman said the offer gives eligible employees who may be considering leaving the company a way to make that transition with support. She said it also gives participating organizations another way to adapt their workforces.

Campbell suggested that employees' decisions may depend on whether they see the offer as part of a longer period of uncertainty or a temporary change at a company where they still want to work. "If it looks like this is somewhat of a one-time adjustment to your company's operations, and you truly like working there, it might be worth riding it out for the long haul," he said.

The new program follows an earlier voluntary buyout offer to about 9,000 U.S. employees this year. Microsoft also announced approximately 4,800 job cuts in July as it restructured its Xbox gaming business and sought to improve returns after years of investment.

The buyout announcement comes just ahead of Microsoft's first-quarter earnings report, scheduled for release after markets close Wednesday. Investors have been scrutinizing the scale of AI spending across the technology industry and whether the products and services built with that infrastructure will generate enough revenue to justify the expense.