Skydance is Also Offering Voluntary Buyouts as More Companies Reduce Their Workforce

Skydance is the latest company to reduce its workforce in the U.S. as it seeks to integrate Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery.

The company has not disclosed how many employees of the company will be eligible for the "one-time offer."

CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz said in a memo that "not everyone will see their future here, and we respect that."

"Those who qualify will receive an individual communication with their personalized details and terms, and a window to decide whether to accept this one-time offer," the document adds.

The CEOs went on to say that integrating the companies "will bring change, including difficult decisions that affect our workforce," hinting at layoffs as well as the buyouts.

The company will also require employees to return to the office five days a week, saying that "in-person collaboration is vital to our culture and to the success of our business."

The buyouts stand in contrast with those of Microsoft, which seek to have the company adapt to the artificial intelligence boom.

The company said on Monday that some 60,000 employees are eligible for the buyout. Those reached are in the U.S., Canada, India and the UK and have an experience level of 70 or below.

Amy Coleman, Microsoft's executive vice president and chief people officer, said in a memo that the program "reflects an important part of how we're evolving our approach to change: creating greater flexibility and, where possible, more ways for employees to shape their next chapter."

"This builds on what we learned earlier this year through the Voluntary Retirement Program," she added. Those who will accept the offer must make the decision over the next weeks and will leave at the end of the year. The company's stock is climbing on Monday, gaining almost 1.5% at 2:33 p.m. ET amid a session of broad gains.

American Express and Barclays announced thousands of layoffs last week, citing AI as a main reason. The former's CEO, Stephen Squeri, said on Friday that the company will eliminate 5% of the global workforce, which at the end of last year amounted to some 77,000 employees.

"We've got good momentum, but to accelerate innovation and win over the next few years, we needed to become more agile and efficient organization," Squeri said when presenting the company's quarterly results.

"We believe this exercise will help us operate and execute more effectively and give us greater capacity to invest in our business priorities," he added.

The announcement came a day after Barclays announced plans to eliminate some 5,000 jobs as it turns to AI and organizational changes to lower costs and free up money for investment.