Microsoft has firmly denied circulating rumors that the company plans to lay off more than 10,000 employees in January. The speculation arose after an anonymous post on the workplace forum Blind alleged that the tech giant would cut 5-10% of its global workforce later this month.
The post, if accurate, would mean the elimination of between 11,000 and 22,000 positions worldwide, a significant reduction from Microsoft’s approximate 220,000-strong workforce. According to the anonymous source, teams in cloud, gaming, and sales divisions would be among those most impacted. However, Microsoft’s Chief Communications Officer Frank Shaw has dismissed these claims publicly.
Microsoft denies layoff rumors
Frank Shaw took to X (formerly Twitter) on January 8, 2026, to refute the allegations. As part of the company’s efforts to address the rumors head-on, Shaw has engaged with news outlets and aggregators showing skepticism toward Microsoft’s denial.
Responding to a post by a news aggregator that stated, "Bookmarked! Will revisit this and will change the post status to CONFIRMED layoffs in a few weeks", Shaw replied directly: "I eagerly await."
In another post on X, Shaw emphasized the company’s position, saying, "It’s somewhat uncommon for us to be this clear on something like this", doubling down that no layoffs are planned for January.
Recent history of workforce reductions
Microsoft has faced layoffs in the past year, with 15,000 roles cut in 2025. The most recent round of job reductions occurred in July 2025, affecting 9,000 employees globally, including 3,200 workers based in Washington.
Despite these prior reductions, Shaw’s statements suggest that no further layoffs are on the horizon this month. Whether the anonymous claims on Blind hold any merit remains uncertain, but Microsoft’s denial has been unequivocal.
This is a developing story, and additional updates may follow as new information becomes available.
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