Microsoft is making significant job cuts at its Azure cloud unit, according to a report from Business Insider. The layoffs will affect teams such as Azure for Operators and Mission Engineering. Specifically, the Azure for Operators layoffs may involve up to 1,500 job cuts. This is in addition to the 1,900 jobs that were shed at Activision Blizzard and Xbox in January of this year.
In the technology and media industry, 2024 has seen a number of layoffs from companies like Amazon.com and Salesforce. Microsoft’s Azure cloud has been experiencing rapid growth, thanks to heavy investments in AI and access to technologies like ChatGPT maker OpenAI through a strategic partnership.
The Azure for Operations and Mission Engineering teams are part of an organization called Strategic Missions and Technologies, formed in 2021 to focus on quantum computing and space. Meanwhile, Microsoft has begun restructuring its mixed reality organization, but it will continue to sell its augmented reality headset, the HoloLens 2.
Previous reports from Business Insider in 2022 indicated that Microsoft had abandoned plans for the HoloLens 3. Despite these changes, Microsoft remains a key player in the technology industry, with continued efforts to innovate and adapt to evolving market trends.