According to Bloomberg, despite Microsoft's statements about optimizing management structures, the new wave of layoffs has most affected programmers.
In Washington state, Microsoft laid off about 2,000 employees out of a total of 7,000 announced layoffs. Of those, 40% were software developers and about 17% were managers.
In addition, about 30% of the employees in Washington, D.C. — about 600 people — who held positions of product managers and technical program managers were laid off. The cuts also affected individual managers and specialists involved in artificial intelligence projects. At the same time, employees who interact directly with customers were almost not affected.
The layoffs are especially significant given the growing focus of tech companies on artificial intelligence. AI tools that can write and analyze code are already in widespread use at many companies. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has previously said that some projects already have 30% of their code written by AI.
Artificial intelligence is being actively implemented not only in programming, but also in other industries. Earlier this year, Salesforce announced plans to lay off more than 1,000 employees as the company shifts its focus to sales roles related to AI. CEO Marc Benioff also said that the company does not plan to hire programmers in 2025 due to the introduction of artificial intelligence.