Microsoft announces another mass layoff, thousands of workers affected

REDMOND, Wash. – Microsoft is firing thousands of workers, its second mass layoff in months.

The tech giant began sending out layoff notices Wednesday.

The company declined to say how many people would be laid off but that it will comprise less than 4% of the workforce it had a year ago.

Microsoft said the cuts will affect multiple teams around the world, including its sales division and its Xbox video game business.

“We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company and teams for success in a dynamic marketplace,” it said in a statement.

Microsoft employed 228,000 full-time workers as of last June, the last time it reported its annual headcount. The company said Wednesday that its latest layoffs would cut close to 4% of that workforce, which would be about 9,000 people.

But it was unclear if it was also counting the 6,000 who were cut as part of a mass layoff announced in May.