Illustration image. While Microsoft removed almost 9,000 jobs in 2025, the rise of artificial intelligence hovers the threat of a progressive replacement of human functions. © Shuttershock
The Redmond firm displays insolent financial health, carried by the explosion of artificial intelligence. However, it multiplies the waves of layoffs in 2025, including in historically strong divisions such as video games. Officially, it is a simple reorganization. Unofficially, these dry cuts in full prosperity give an icing overview of the future of work.
Advertisement
Microsoft dismissed massively despite record profits and the development of the AI
“Cloud and AI are the new productivity levers”assured Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, at a conference last April. Far from being a promise, it was a warning. In this month of July 2025, Microsoft confirms a new wave of job cuts, estimated at nearly 9,000 departures. In accumulated over the year, this represents around 4 % of its global workforce.
The paradox is obvious: while the firm garnered 25.8 billion net profits per quarter (+18 %) and flirts with the stock markets, it reduces human wing. The Xbox division would also be affected, according to several internal sources.
These include reducing hierarchical levels, with fewer managers, and rationalizing processes, products, procedures and roles.
In France, approximately 200 jobs would have been deleted, or almost 10 % of the workforce of the King studio (Candy Crush), and several dozen other positions have been assigned to the marketing and support teams linked to the Xbox division.
Behind these layoffs, there is above all the accelerated integration of artificial intelligence. According to Microsoft, 20 to 30 % of the internal code is already written by AI tools like Github Copilot. Its technical director goes further: by 2030, 95 % of the code would be generated automatically. Fewer developers, more algorithms. And what applies to the code also applies to documentation, customer support or project management.
Microsoft is not an isolated case. Meta had already dismissed about 5 % of its workforce to replace them with IA experts in February. Salesforce, Klarna, IBM or Duolingo follow the plunge. AI becomes a brutal adjustment variable, even in the most profitable companies. Employees discover that we can be efficient, profitable … and all the same thanked.
Advertisement
Want to save even more? Discover our selected promo codes for you.
