In 2024, Microsoft insisted that information security was its top priority, but that did not stop it from starting the current year by reducing its staff of specialized specialists. Moreover, some company employees in other areas of activity may lose their jobs, even if their number promises to remain limited.
According to Microsoft representatives who commented on this report to Business Insider, this series of cuts is not related to a separate initiative to fire company employees who demonstrate less than stellar performance indicators. At least, according to sources familiar with the situation, it became known that Microsoft security specialists began receiving notifications about upcoming layoffs yesterday. Since 2021, Microsoft’s core division has been headed by Charlie Bell, who has extensive experience working in the cloud division of Amazon (AWS).
Under his leadership, Microsoft launched the Secure Future initiative last year, which made information security a top priority for every employee. Holes in Microsoft’s software security system have previously received criticism from US government agencies, which have accused the company’s products of being imperfect in terms of protection against hacker attacks. The performance of Microsoft employees who are being laid off will also be assessed based on their contribution to security. Personnel decisions could affect hardware development, sales and gaming teams, according to people familiar with the matter.