Microsoft is preparing to cut thousands of jobs as early as the week of 6 July 2026, spanning its sales and consulting arms and its Xbox gaming division, according to reporting by Business Insider confirmed by GeekWire. Within Xbox, Microsoft is weighing the closure or sale of at least five studios, including Arkane Lyon, the maker of Dishonored, per The Verge. The reductions will hit under 2.5% of a global workforce of about 220,000.
Thousands of livelihoods, then, against a backdrop of record spending. The timing is not subtle.
