‘By Every Objective Measure, We’re Thriving’: Microsoft CEO Expresses Gratitude to All Those Laid Off

“The line’s pointing up and to the right”

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• by Sammy Barker Yesterday, 8pm

Earlier this month, Microsoft cut an astronomical 9,000 jobs across its entire business, with its Xbox division struck particularly hard.

This led to the cancellation of multiple in-development projects, including The Initiative’s Perfect Dark and Rare’s Everwild, all of which would have likely released on PS5.

At the time, Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer said that his business had “never looked stronger”, offering little consolation to all those losing their jobs.

Now CEO Satya Nadella has piped up with an equally ghoulish statement, no doubt authored with the assistance of Copilot.

The letter, sent out to all employees across the business, expresses “sincere gratitude” to all those who recently had their roles eliminated. “Their contributions have shaped who we are as a company, helping build the foundation we stand on today,” it reads. “And for that, I am deeply grateful.”

It continues:

“By every objective measure, Microsoft is thriving – our market performance, strategic positioning, and growth all point up and to the right. We’re investing more in CapEx than ever before. Our overall headcount is relatively unchanged, and some of the talent and expertise in our industry and at Microsoft is being recognised and rewarded at levels never seen before. And yet, at the same time, we’ve undergone layoffs.

“This is the enigma of success in an industry that has no franchise value. Progress isn’t linear. It’s dynamic, sometimes dissonant, and always demanding. But it’s also a new opportunity for us to shape, lead through, and have greater impact than ever before.”

Nadella then goes on to wax lyrical about AI, proposing a future where “all eight billion people could summon a researcher, an analyst, or a coding agent at their fingertips”.

The letter explicitly mentions AI a total of seven times, but there’s not a single word about Xbox or gaming, which underlines where the CEO’s ambitions lie.

No doubt Microsoft will post another round of remarkable revenue during its earnings report next week, with its stocks hitting record highs in anticipation earlier today.

But we’re not sure any of that’s going to allay fears among a workforce increasingly uncertain if they’ll be getting the axe next.