"underperforming employees" has nothing to do with it. My money is that everyone that gets let go performs just fine. They will be replaced by cheaper labor.

Start with the CEO

> A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed cuts, but declined to share details on the number of employees being let go.

So it's 2025 in the intelligence age with agents and Microsoft confirms layoffs at a time when they are one of the market leaders. Oh dear.

Can't they just admit that they are replacing their employees with AI? Also the cuts are happening across the whole company:

> The cuts are happening across the company, including in its important Security division, the people said.

Never expected one of the largest dominoes to fall first into doing layoffs that fast in my prediction hoping that it would not come true. [0]

Hopefully they are the only ones and many will not (and should not) follow them.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42490692