Out of the 2,290 employees Microsoft has laid off over the past month, at least 18 people affected were communications and marketing staffers, according to Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification documents.
Microsoft eliminated 1,985 roles at the company’s Redmond, Washington, headquarters on May 13; and 305 roles on June 2, according to the documents filed with the state of Washington. In additional documents, Microsoft disclosed roles affected in communications.
“We are increasing our agility by reducing layers with fewer managers,” a Microsoft spokesperson said via email. “To enhance our efficiency, we will minimize redundancy by streamlining our processes, procedures and roles.”
The roles of one manager in communications, one manager in government affairs, three employees in government affairs and two staffers in communications were among those eliminated earlier this month. The roles of one manager in communications, seven lower level staffers in communications, one employee in writing and two managers in integrated marketing were among those laid off on May 13, according to the documents.
Layoffs are expected to be completed by July 12 and August 1, documents showed.
A Microsoft spokesperson declined to disclose department-specific layoff numbers. Microsoft’s chief communications officer is Frank Shaw.
Representatives from Microsoft’s PR AOR We. Communications did not respond to additional requests for comment.
More layoffs at Microsoft are likely, according to reports. The tech giant expects to eliminate 6,000 employees, or about 3%, of its workforce despite the company’s better-than-expected forecast, reports showed.
In its fiscal Q3 2025, Microsoft reported $70.07 billion in revenue, reflecting 13% year-over-year growth from a year ago. Its net income grew 18% in the quarter to $25.8 billion from $21.9 billion a year ago.
“Even in the best of times, we have regularly adjusted our workforce to meet the strategic demands of the business, ” a Microsoft representative said.
Microsoft’s AI director Gabriela de Queiroz also noted in a LinkedIn post that she was laid off last month.
Microsoft hired Lee Anderson-Brooke as senior director for executive communications for the office of the COO earlier this year.
Microsoft employed 228,000 people worldwide at the end of June last year and operates in 190 countries worldwide.
Source – https://www.prweek.com/article/1921157/microsoft-layoffs-hit-communications-marketing-staffers