Microsoft lays off hit security, experiences and devices, sales, games

• Microsoft is laying off employees on teams including security, sales and gaming.
• The layoffs are separate from cuts aimed at underperforming employees across the company.
• By 2024, Microsoft said security was its No. 1 priority. 1.

Microsoft is laying off employees across organizations including security, experiences and devices, sales and gaming, according to two people familiar with the matter.

A Microsoft spokesman said the layoffs are small, but did not specify a number and were unrelated to the job cuts Business Insider recently reported targeting underperforming employees across the company.

One of the people familiar with the matter said employees began receiving notices Tuesday of layoffs in Microsoft’s security unit. The group is led by Charlie Bell, a former cloud chief executive at Amazon who stunned the industry when he left for Microsoft in 2021 to lead a renewed efforts for cyber security.

Microsoft expanded its Secure Future Initiative last year, making safety a top priority for every employee. The change followed years of security problems at Microsoft, including what the Department of Homeland Security called “a cascade of security flaws” that allowed Chinese hackers to access the emails of thousands of customers.

The company also made safety a core priority on which employees are evaluated during performance reviews.

“If you’re faced with the trade-off between security and another priority, your answer is clear: Do security.” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wrote in an email to Microsoft employees last year.

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