Microsoft layoff rumors are circulating all over the internet this week which has shocked employees, tech watchers, and basically everyone with Wi-Fi shocked. A report suggests that global tech giant Microsoft could be planning to cu anywhere between 11,000 and 22,000 jobs in January 2026. This is expected to be one of the biggest job-cut rounds the company has ever seen.
The internet has reacted with panic, hot takes, memes, and people pretending to know someone who knows someone inside Microsoft.
The viral report pointed out multiple teams. The report claims that the cut could hit Azure cloud service, the Xbox gaming division, and even global sales units. The reason behind this layoff was mentioned in the report that it is rising costs, especially because Microsoft is spending heavily on artificial intelligence.
Microsoft response on layoff
Microsoft has steeped in the viral rumor regarding the layoff. Microsift’s chief communication officer, Frank X. Shaw wrote on social media; his reaction was not diplomatic, sugar-coated, or PR filtered. He wrote it in a blunt manner he said that claim was completely wrong. Not partially wrong, not ‘we cannot confirm at this time’ wrong, but fully, confidently, 100 per cent wrong.
100 percent made up / speculative / wrong.
— Frank X. Shaw (@fxshaw) January 7, 2026
The message made it very clear that the numbers being thrown around online were not based on any official plan or internal decision he was aware of. Further he even joked that he was waiting for the so-called news to show up, because clearly, it hadn’t.
Syed Ziyauddin is a media and international relations enthusiast with a strong academic and professional foundation. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media from Jamia Millia Islamia and a Master’s in International Relations (West Asia) from the same institution.
He has work with organizations like ANN Media, TV9 Bharatvarsh, NDTV and Centre for Discourse, Fusion, and Analysis (CDFA) his core interest includes Tech, Auto and global affairs.
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