Microsoft cuts 4,800 jobs, as Xbox unit downsizes and plans to spin off four gaming studios

Key PointsMicrosoft is laying off 4,800 employees after carrying out a voluntary retirement program.The company's Xbox video game unit is cutting one-fifth of its staff, and four studios will go independent.Microsoft's stock is down 19% this year as of Friday's close, trailing its megacap peers.

In this articleMSFTFollow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNTMicrosoft CEO Satya Nadella talks with Indonesia's Minister of Communication and Information Technology Budi Arie Setiadi, on the day of their meeting with Indonesian President Joko WIdodo in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 30, 2024.Willy Kurniawan | ReutersMicrosoft is eliminating 4,800 jobs, representing 2.1% of its workforce, with the company's Xbox division losing about one-fifth of its staff in the software giant's latest effort to cut costs in the era of artificial intelligence.

"The way technology is built, deployed, and used is transforming faster than at any point in my time here," Amy Coleman, Microsoft's chief people officer and a 27-year company veteran, wrote in a message to employees on Monday.Xbox is cutting 3,200 people through fiscal year 2027, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma wrote in an email to division employees, noting that 1,600 roles would be axed on Monday. The other 1,600 exiting is on top of the companywide total of 4,800 leaving immediately."

I recognize that a year-long restructuring creates additional challenges," Sharma wrote. "Unfortunately, it is not possible to make all the necessary changes in a single day."The cuts amount to 20% of Xbox employees leaving, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named in order to discuss internal changes."

We will return to growth in 2027," Sharma wrote.Microsoft has been the worst performer among megacap tech stocks so far in 2026, falling 19% as of Friday's close, as investors fear that generative AI models might displace wide swaths of enterprise software, while Microsoft's own AI models and services have yet to become big hits. Last year Microsoft conducted several rounds of layoffs, including one that cut 9,000 jobs.

While Microsoft recorded accelerating growth in cloud services and LinkedIn in recent quarters, it's lagging in other areas, such as Windows operating system licenses, Surface devices and the Xbox gaming unit, where revenue has been shrinking.Stock Chart IconStock chart iconMicrosoft stock chart.As part of Monday's announced changes, four gaming studios will be spun out of Microsoft, Coleman said.

The commercial business that focuses on selling to customers will also see reductions. The Compulsion Games and Double Fine Productions studios, which Microsoft acquired in the 2010s, will become independent again, Sharma said in her note. Ninja Theory and Undead Labs, which joined Microsoft in 2018, "have entered terms to join new ownership."

France-based Arkane Studios, which arrived at Microsoft through the $8.1 billion ZeniMax Media acquisition in 2021, is in touch with its works council regarding strategic options, Sharma wrote.In April, Microsoft introduced a one-time voluntary retirement program, a first for the company.

The effort has targeted U.S. employees at the senior director position and below.

Over one-third of eligible employees have accepted the offer, and the company "will continue exploring similar approaches in the future," Coleman wrote."Decisions like these are never easy, and you have my commitment that we are constantly looking for ways to reduce the need for job eliminations," Coleman wrote.While much of Wall Street's concerns about Microsoft are tied to the company's position in AI and CEO Satya Nadella's failure to lay out a coherent strategy for its approach to developing models, agents and other services, AI isn't replacing laid-off workers, Coleman wrote.

"At the same time, what is true is that AI is changing how work gets done," she wrote. "Some of the tasks we do every day can now be automated, and that means we all need to keep learning, keep building new skills, and keep adapting as the work evolves. Our customers are navigating this same shift, and they're counting on us to help them through it.

We can't do that well unless we're doing it ourselves."WATCH: Microsoft's now a value stock and we're excited about it, says MAI Capital's Chris Grisantiwatch nowVIDEO5:3105:31Microsoft's now a value stock and we're excited about it, says MAI Capital's Chris GrisantiThe ExchangeRead more CNBC tech newsMeta's push into cloud computing means Wall Street has to prepare for lower marginsChip stocks that notched record rallies in second quarter start Q3 with a dudPlayStation will end physical disc production for new games in 2028Employers who laid off workers citing AI are already starting to regret itChoose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news.