Microsoft sends second wave of layoff notices to 3,000
Microsoft on Tuesday notified more than 3,000 workers that it was eliminating their jobs.
The software maker said in January that it would cut up to 5,000 jobs over the next 18 months. It made 1,400 cuts at the time. With the second wave of notifications on Tuesday, Microsoft has cut nearly all 5,000 jobs already.
Although it didn't announce further layoffs, the fact that the company has already made nearly all the reductions under the January plan means further job actions will have to come under a new round of cuts. In a memo to Microsoft workers, CEO Steve Ballmer left the door open to further action.
"As we move forward, we will continue to closely monitor the impact of the economic downturn on the company and if necessary, take further actions on our cost structure including additional job eliminations," Ballmer said in the memo, which was seen by CNET News.
While the positions cut in January were more U.S.-centered, the cuts announced Tuesday were split roughly evenly between U.S. and international workers. The cuts were across the company in terms of job type.
"As part of the plan we announced in January to reduce costs and increase efficiencies, today we are eliminating additional positions across several areas of the company," Microsoft said in a public statement confirming the cuts. "While job eliminations are always difficult, we are taking these necessary actions in response to the global economic downturn."
The company still plans to hire 2,000 to 3,000 workers this year in some growing areas of focus, including its online services business.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
Also, are the cuts being taken out of the FTE, or out of the contractors (and if it is FTE, there may be a bigger story in how much attrition may be happening among the contractors, since they are often not counted in layoff numbers, but are usually the first to get the axe in any department where budgets get distressed).
I do not like Microsoft. I very much do not like the products the sell. The people who work for Microsoft are people and I hope they get jobs that do not involve upselling fries. That said, Working the IT department at McDonald or Walmart might not be that bad.
There may be new job openings coming up in new departments as well. Times change.
The no compete clause orginated with business. If I sell you my Donut shop, and then take all my customers across the street to the My new Donut Shop I've just cost you a lot of money, and I still have my busines.
It never intended for employee though it got forced into the mix. Courts tend not to look at the no compete clause with kindness when it comes to employee. For one thing they don't get paid enough to sit on their but and not work if they do get laid off if they have one of those clauses.
Regarding the contractors, a contractor was hired in my department prior to my layoff. That happenned in several areas... they are not the first to go at Microsoft.
The problem is a lack of skill (or interest) of the pedigreed board in finding them. That's becasue many of them are stuck under a glass cieling a couple of floors down.
Microsoft, How is that outsourcing working for you? Maximizing short term profits always leads to trouble.
Short term gains in IT always leads to long term trouble. Some times you're losing more than just the bottom line... for example what is the price on consumer confidence? If you're customers aren't confident with your product how are you going to buy that back you can't buy consumer confidence it's earned.
Setting that aside for a moment, part of a manager's job is making sure a company declines to continue to employ people who aren't good employees. People who significantly underperform other employees, that sort of thing. During hard times, the bar for "aren't good employees" gets a little higher. If that didn't happen, people would be howling for Balmer's head for being a lousy manager.
Learn something of how real business works before you go whining about it.
Salary is one thing - Jobs gets $1 a year.
He's a billionaire, as is Ballmer.
He didn't get there on 1.4M a year.
Puhleez.
Jobs also has huge stock options within Apple which easily make him a yearly salary.
and focused more on profitability of the XBOX and Windows mobile divisions
not to mention Live search and services
this wouldn't have happened !
Greed is Microsoft's Biggest enemy !
Seven7dust, you are your own worst enemy when it comes to credibility and respect.
Don't get me started on the "brilliance" of paying people to use that trashy gutter live search junk.
The problem with Microsoft is not their products, their management, or their proferred vision.
The problem lies within their followers, their acolytes, their loyal supporters who continue to pray at their altar despite their several and dramatic failures.
I don't care that people don't like what I have to say. What I do care about is that people continue to hurt their better interests by denying what is so obviously true to so many people.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/05/04/macbooks_sweep_latest_consumer_reports_scores.html
An excellent example of using misleading information to spin out tidbits to forward your agenda... which makes no sense at all.
Giving out beta products for end users to try out? Perhaps you've heard of this little company called Apple that does the very same thing? Why are you condemning Microsoft for doing what Apple does? Do you feel that Apple is a failure as well for doing the same thing as Microsoft? Interesting thought there- normally you support all things Apple, but ... well, you seem to have issues with allowing customers to try out products before they buy it. If you're against Microsoft for doing this, then you are against Apple as well.
The article you linked to has nothing to do with Microsoft. It's a consumer reports score on support and satisfaction surveys on *hardware*. Perhaps you overlooked that? Microsoft doesn't build PC's- Apple does. It's a good attempt at FUD, but it fails if someone actually looks at the article in question.
Better luck next time.
MS is ranked the 3rd most profitable company in the US, only 2 companies make more companies, and they are oil companies.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2009/performers/companies/profits/
what vegaman said is perfectly true though
Apple has open Betas just like many other tech companies
And Dan does have a point - having a beta in the hands of the public isn't really a bad thing. Allow the users to help scare out the bugs in the software before releasing it to the wild. This is typical for a lot of software development and not an M$ specific thing.
BogusBasin should have brought up WGA though - that shuts up most M$ apologists pretty darned quick.
"vegaman, the MS shill, trikes again. I don't even read you posts anymore."
That is indeed an option you may choose, however you did comment on my post, so you must have read it.... ;)
Don't worry, it's no big deal. Laugh a little, it does you good.
:-P
if you did, you will know it is awesome
Windows 7 isn't "awesome". It's merely a slimmed down, less annoying version of Vista. While it is an improvement over Vista, this isn't really saying much.
Windows 7 is merely a slimmed down, less annoying version of Vista. It isn't "awesome". It's an improvement over Vista, but that isn't really saying much.
Do you really expect anyone to take your comments seriously, when your apple fanboy bias goes above and beyond of some other apple fans when looking at some of your other comments ... sad
Personal attacks don't do anything to demonstrate your point of view. I've not been engaging in "apple fanboy" rhetoric. I have merely been correcting falsehoods by the likes of you, monkey, and pi. If you would actually read what I have read, I've been touting alternatives to Windows, a subtle yet important difference.
But to be fair, install it on a system and give it an honest unbiased chance. You might be surprised. Unless you do, then you really don't have much to base your opinion upon.
And today we are releasing the winners of the competition for PRO-Micro$oft commenting:
1st price monkeyfun14
2nd price Vegaman_Dan
The 2 venerable contributors have been enlisted on the companys payroll as long-term members.
The winners will get a handshake from the current Micro$oft chairman Steve Ballmer, together with a complementary chair for the annual Redmond chair-throwing competition.
:-)
On a more serious note: I do feel sorry, for the poor guys getting the sack
Arthur
Disclosure: While I do work *at* Microsoft's campus, I do not work *for* Microsoft. I do not draw any payment from Microsoft, and indeed my job benefits when Microsoft products fail as my company is responsible for cleaning up afterwards. Hows' that blow the Apple fanboys' minds? I make my money from Microsoft failing, and yet I still support Microsoft prodcuts. Go figure.
But hey, let's all have a laugh now and then. Life is too short to get upset over internet postings. Go ahead and type out your long diatribe full of hate and vehemence... but don't click on that 'submit' button. Go have some ice cream instead, come back and ask yourself if you really want to be known for making that sort of post. Go ahead and click 'cancel' and you'll feel better for it.
lol ... and how you find time to post here? you must be up yer neck full of ***** from Windows failures, crashes, viruses etc... working at M$ campus? one will never be short of work
Get used to it. In many ways, show's just starting.
let's email everyone and tell them-you are fired!!1
emailing a employee and tell the employee, you are fired, no money,ni insurance,nothering.
not even a kiss on the cheek.take this too your cold heart. i hope and pray.you will not sleep.
Their most recent OS was and remains an abysmal failure. Their attempt at competing in the MP3 market is a disaster, no matter how many people tell us that they love their Zune. Their "loss leader" in game consoles is just that...a leader in losses.
Want proof? Look at the stock price for the past five years...at least five years.
MSFT investors are desperate. They'll say and do anything to make others believe that the company is doing as well now as they were doing before they were adjudicated by the US Department of Justice as violating the Sherman Anti-trust Law in restraint of trade.
They've lost a great deal of their investments over the past ten years. They're so desperate that they need to tell themselves -- and anyone who will listen -- that this is a great company.
Sorry, but as is true in the rest of the real world, what has Microsoft done for anyone invested in them lately? The soft answer would be "nothing." The truth is that they've damaged their investors through bad judgment, poor management, and malfeasance.
What they've done is move a great deal of their previously loyal customers to Apple and Linux. And a large percentage of them who haven't made that move are looking into it.
It's a sad story. With so many resources, the best they could do was barely maintain their core products...Windows and Office. Not enough. The rest of the tech world is passing them by, and they don't seem to have a clue.
I am afraid that they are following Kodak, Xerox, General Motors, General Electric, Citi Group, Sears, Swift, and many others into decline. It seems to be the American way to trash great companies with poor management. GE is the only remaining company on the original Dow stock index.
I am just reading your comments about MS for long time and though to give you something back.
Microsoft is a BRAND, which you can dreamt about to use their product, work for them, use their idea ...BLA(100...). Now there is a economic down in this earth but still Microsoft finds a way to keep their customer(You are also the one) happy. MS do the business as per customer needs and they just do not manufacture any product which customer is not aware off. Remember the biggest dream of Bill gates - He wants windows OS running in every home in this earth and I would say he has achieved almost 70% of his dream another 30 % is just only to convience users who uses Pirate software of MS and claims that they do not like MS product and they compare with other product companies. Think like something, where evrybody can use not only rich people like You.
I like Microsoft strategy in terms of Long term sustain. Whatever they do is for us , Yes I also feel sad about the layoffs but nothing can be done at this situation. Think like if you are drving a bus, which has more than 100 passangers and face one situation where you have to kill 5 people to save more number of passangers, in that case, I think you will also take the same steps..
I think, you now understood MS very well.
- by NoWeCant May 6, 2009 10:15 AM PDT
- About time H1B was brought up...those evil _legal_ immigrants.
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