Microsoft made a major announcement in April 2026 — the company offered 
voluntary buyouts to its US employees for the very first time in its 
51-year history. Around 8,750 employees — 7% of its domestic workforce 
— are eligible for this program.

📌 What is the "Rule of 70"?
Employees at or below the senior director level, whose combined age 
and years of service add up to 70 or more, qualify for this buyout. 
This primarily targets experienced professionals in their 50s and 60s.

📌 The AI Connection
Microsoft is investing over $100 billion in AI infrastructure this year. 
Notably, AI and Copilot teams are completely exempt from this program — 
only traditional enterprise and operations roles are being affected.

📌 Bigger Picture
Over 92,000 tech workers have already been laid off in 2026 across 
95 companies. Meta also announced cuts of 8,000 employees around 
the same time.

Eligible employees will receive notifications on May 7, 2026, 
with a 30-day window to accept or decline the offer.

The message is clear — AI is not coming for jobs someday. 
It is already here.