Microsoft Said to Be Cutting Up to 10% of Its Workforce

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
Joined
May 9, 2000
Messages
75,399
Microsoft is looking to lose a few good men. Pun intended of course, but the job cuts are serious, with Microsoft looking to cut anywhere up to 12K positions that are redundant and overlap each other.

These types of cuts are nothing new; with nearly every major corporate acquisition, some staffing has to be cut to reduce redundancy in the organization.
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Probably cutting the folks that thought getting rid of the start menu was a good idea.
 
Seems perfectly reasonable to me, take the most qualified people in their mobile division and show everyone else the door.

It's not like they are selling buildings or having layoffs because of financials.
 
I hope they don't fire Heatlessun. Who else will defend Windows 8 in every thread around here?
 
Nothing unusual here ... they picked up 25,000 heads in their merger with Nokia, many in redundant roles ... have gone through these sort of redundancy layoffs myself with previous companies ... they are never nice but they are unfortunately a necessity in most mergers
 
DeathFromBelow said:
I hope they don't fire Heatlessun. Who else will defend Windows 8 in every thread around here?
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I will and I love Windows 8 / 8.1. Best hybrid OS ever! (Only hybrid OS as well.) :D 10% of the workforce being cut does kind of suck though, losing a job is almost never a good thing.
 
ManofGod said:
I will and I love Windows 8 / 8.1. Best hybrid OS ever! (Only hybrid OS as well.) :D 10% of the workforce being cut does kind of suck though, losing a job is almost never a good thing.
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Ill do it as well. There has been nothing wrong with W8. I can actually easily live without the start button as I have found little things hidden through W8 that actually makes it faster and easier to do the things I needed to do in W7. Also W8 is superior for tablet and ultrabook 2 in 1 uses.

Always sucks to hear about job losses though.
 
I love windows 8. I just cant wait for 9 or 10 when they unify the OS for mobile, tablet, and desktop. Then it will be an amazing os.
 
Burticus said:
How about anyone that had anything to do with Metro?
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The modern UI isn't going anywhere from all of the early rumors of Windows 9. The early reports of 9 indicate that it will better adapt to the type of device it's running on with more end user configuration options. For smaller tablets with free Windows, supposedly the desktop is going away, though considering the issues with Windows RT, I do wonder about that. x86 devices without the desktop are going to face the same issues as RT, though on smaller tablets it's not as problematic, though some of these smaller tablets can hook up to external monitors and keyboards and work well for light to medium desktop tasks.
 
heatlesssun said:
The early reports of 9 indicate that it will better adapt to the type of device it's running on with more end user configuration options.
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That's part of the dumb that pervades at Microsoft as it attempts to follow Apple. The OS shouldn't decide what UI it uses. That should be a user-driven choice because having the OS make a UI decision based on things like the presence or lack of certain hardware capabilities doesn't cater to the tastes and preferences of individual customers. It also assumes stupidity and a presents a "we know what's good for you" sort of sensation when you're using the OS. That's a Mister McNaughty Pants way of approaching the customer population that might hurt their sales.

Not that it matters to me. I use Linux on my computers. (>^^)>
 
I wonder what they're going to cut them with. I sure hope they sanitize the blades when moving onto the next employee.
 
Microsoft has been too complacent and while the lost of jobs is unfortunate it's a needed wake up call. Haven't been impressed by any Microsoft product until Surface Pro 3 but the experience is less polished than my old Galaxy Note II.
 
mi7chy said:
Microsoft has been too complacent and while the lost of jobs is unfortunate it's a needed wake up call. Haven't been impressed by any Microsoft product until Surface Pro 3 but the experience is less polished than my old Galaxy Note II.
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Note that these cuts are because they absorbed an extra 25,000 employees with the Nokia merger ... they are cutting about half of the new employees with this layoff ... this is not driven by any market forces other than almost all companies reduce headcount after mergers (because of overlap and redundancy and optimizing the new organization) ;)
 
CreepyUncleGoogle said:
That's part of the dumb that pervades at Microsoft as it attempts to follow Apple. The OS shouldn't decide what UI it uses. That should be a user-driven choice because having the OS make a UI decision based on things like the presence or lack of certain hardware capabilities doesn't cater to the tastes and preferences of individual customers. It also assumes stupidity and a presents a "we know what's good for you" sort of sensation when you're using the OS. That's a Mister McNaughty Pants way of approaching the customer population that might hurt their sales.

Not that it matters to me. I use Linux on my computers. (>^^)>
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I love you, CUG.

This is the most accurate and succinct explanation of exactly what is wrong with 8 that I've seen. If the MS White Knights can't understand this explanation, then, well, I think a lot of people already think they're shills so I guess it won't change much.
 
DiabloRojo said:
I love you, CUG.

This is the most accurate and succinct explanation of exactly what is wrong with 8 that I've seen. If the MS White Knights can't understand this explanation, then, well, I think a lot of people already think they're shills so I guess it won't change much.
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If Windows 8 had worked such that when installed on a desktop with a keyboard and mouse you got a Start Menu and desktop apps for defaults and a when on a tablet a Start Screen and modern apps for defaults, pretty much all of the criticism would have not been there.
 
mi7chy said:
Microsoft has been too complacent and while the lost of jobs is unfortunate it's a needed wake up call. Haven't been impressed by any Microsoft product until Surface Pro 3 but the experience is less polished than my old Galaxy Note II.
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What wake up call? They're laying off redundant employees due to a massive acquisition. They're laying off people not to get smaller but because they're getting much larger
 
DiabloRojo said:
I love you, CUG.

This is the most accurate and succinct explanation of exactly what is wrong with 8 that I've seen. If the MS White Knights can't understand this explanation, then, well, I think a lot of people already think they're shills so I guess it won't change much.
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Aw gee, I feel all warm and gooey inside now.
 
DeathFromBelow said:
I hope they don't fire Heatlessun. Who else will defend Windows 8 in every thread around here?
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Had to chuckle at this.

On topic, though, this is probably due to Windows 8. Microsoft decided it wanted to fuck with the PC experience to remain relevant in the iPad-era, forgetting that people actually use their computers to get things done.

If they have any sense at all they'll redesign Windows 8 as a tablet and mobile-only OS, then use Windows 7 as the starting point for Windows 9.
 
wabbitseason said:
Had to chuckle at this.

On topic, though, this is probably due to Windows 8. Microsoft decided it wanted to fuck with the PC experience to remain relevant in the iPad-era, forgetting that people actually use their computers to get things done.

If they have any sense at all they'll redesign Windows 8 as a tablet and mobile-only OS, then use Windows 7 as the starting point for Windows 9.
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Or for those that read the article, this is actually about the Nokia merger ... they picked up 25,000 additional people and are reducing about half of that amount to eliminate overlap and redundancy ... although it is always possible that they will reduce a little in the software division, this is not an adjustment to any market forces other than they got bigger by buying Nokia and they are dieting to take a little off the middle :cool:
 
heatlesssun said:
If Windows 8 had worked such that when installed on a desktop with a keyboard and mouse you got a Start Menu and desktop apps for defaults and a when on a tablet a Start Screen and modern apps for defaults, pretty much all of the criticism would have not been there.
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so discoverability using touch-only was never an issue? :p
 
rflcptr said:
so discoverability using touch-only was never an issue? :p
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From my perspective, great timing on the question. This weekend my wife's 8 year old niece taught me something. I noticed that when she was hitting the volume rocker, she'd then use her thumb to slide on the standard volume toast. Some apps when running will use a more elaborate toast with pause and play buttons and those I do use with touch, but it never occurred to me to do what an 8 year old girl did who doesn't know this stuff overall anywhere as well as I do.

My wife comes from a big family and I've observed a lot of young ones, as young 4, use my Windows 8 tablets. When there aren't any preconceptions about what Windows is supposed to be, a mouse or keyboard or Start Menu, the modern UI I think is very institutive, I've seen it with my own eyes over and over. The Windows Store and installing and using modern apps that's such an anathema with this crowd, that's the thing I've seen kids do like meth, installing all kinds of crap that I'd never even seen.

Windows 8 has many flaws, but touch intuitiveness on a tablet with non-experienced Windows users isn't one them. Microsoft knew what it was doing when it developed the modern UI for Windows 8 but they clearly made big mistakes with the traditional desktop crowd.
 
Nutella like swinging the AXE

They should of developed a robust Windows 10 for power users and added more varaton on customization and color themes. People would pay for it if it was on Par with Windows 7
 
next-Jin said:
Seems perfectly reasonable to me, take the most qualified people in their mobile division and show everyone else the door.
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You got that backwards. take the most qualified people in the mobile division and show THEM the door, because as "qualified" as they are they still don't fucking get it, they're still failing to produce anything consumers do anything but laugh at.

6 years. 3 reboots. still dead. Windows Phone.
 
Comixbooks said:
Nutella like swinging the AXE

They should of developed a robust Windows 10 for power users and added more varaton on customization and color themes. People would pay for it if it was on Par with Windows 7
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This has to do with the phone business how? Yeah, I though so, more trolling. :rolleyes:
 
Burticus said:
How about anyone that had anything to do with Metro?
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If Julie Larson-Green (aka the ribbon any, aka the metro lady) survives these firings then MS has learned nothing.

at least they demoted and moved her away from where she can do anymore damage, but as the former right hand of Sinofsky she should not be there in any capacity anymore.
 
DPI said:
You got that backwards. take the most qualified people in the mobile division and show THEM the door, because as "qualified" as they are they still don't fucking get it, they're still failing to produce anything consumers do anything but laugh at.

6 years. 3 reboots. still dead. Windows Phone.
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Nope, try again. :D Oh, by the way, you are responding to a one year old post. What is with this thread resurrection?
 
Firing a woman from a job? What are you? a misogynous?
 
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