Microsoft has announced a fresh round of layoffs, affecting nearly 4,800 employees worldwide or around 2.1 per cent of the company's global workforce. The job cuts include a substantial reduction in the Xbox gaming division of the company, which is undertaking a broader restructuring. The latest downsizing comes as the company reshapes its Xbox business strategy in response to growing challenges in the gaming console market.&nbsp;The move will significantly impact Microsoft's gaming business as nearly 1,600 Xbox employees have already been affected, and Microsoft has highlighted that further job cuts are likely during the ongoing fiscal year. In response to the development, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who is in charge of the gaming division, stated that the restructuring is focused on resetting the business.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/suicide-manoeuvre-what-b-52-pilots-must-do-in-the-4-minutes-after-dropping-a-nuclear-bomb-to-survive-1783376909667">'Suicide Manoeuvre': What B-52 pilots must do in the 4 minutes after dropping a nuclear bomb to survive</a> "Our business today is not healthy," Sharma said in a memo. "We are operating at margins that are 3-10x lower than comparable platform and publishing businesses." She also underscored the increasing pressure on the gaming hardware business.<h3>Xbox job cuts&nbsp;</h3>The Xbox job cuts are part of a broader round of layoffs at Microsoft. Chief People Officer Amy Coleman said the move is aimed at aligning the company's workforce with evolving customer needs, rather than replacing employees with artificial intelligence.&nbsp;The latest layoffs follow Microsoft's voluntary buyout programme launched in May, which was offered to about 8,750 employees. Coleman said more than 30 per cent of eligible staff accepted the retirement packages. The fresh round of job cuts comes as Microsoft presses ahead with its ongoing workforce restructuring.

The move will significantly impact Microsoft's gaming business as nearly 1,600 Xbox employees have already been affected, and Microsoft has highlighted that further job cuts are likely during the ongoing fiscal year. 

Microsoft has announced a fresh round of layoffs, affecting nearly 4,800 employees worldwide or around 2.1 per cent of the company's global workforce. The job cuts include a substantial reduction in the Xbox gaming division of the company, which is undertaking a broader restructuring. The latest downsizing comes as the company reshapes its Xbox business strategy in response to growing challenges in the gaming console market. The move will significantly impact Microsoft's gaming business as nearly 1,600 Xbox employees have already been affected, and Microsoft has highlighted that further job cuts are likely during the ongoing fiscal year. In response to the development, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who is in charge of the gaming division, stated that the restructuring is focused on resetting the business. Also read: 'Suicide Manoeuvre': What B-52 pilots must do in the 4 minutes after dropping a nuclear bomb to survive "Our business today is not healthy," Sharma said in a memo. "We are operating at margins that are 3-10x lower than comparable platform and publishing businesses." She also underscored the increasing pressure on the gaming hardware business. Xbox job cuts The Xbox job cuts are part of a broader round of layoffs at Microsoft. Chief People Officer Amy Coleman said the move is aimed at aligning the company's workforce with evolving customer needs, rather than replacing employees with artificial intelligence. The latest layoffs follow Microsoft's voluntary buyout programme launched in May, which was offered to about 8,750 employees. Coleman said more than 30 per cent of eligible staff accepted the retirement packages. The fresh round of job cuts comes as Microsoft presses ahead with its ongoing workforce restructuring.

The move will significantly impact Microsoft's gaming business as nearly 1,600 Xbox employees have already been affected, and Microsoft has highlighted that further job cuts are likely during the ongoing fiscal year.&nbsp;

Microsoft lay off 4,800 employees as Xbox gaming division undergoes major restructuring

Microsoft has sacked its entire ethics and society team in the fresh round of layoffs&nbsp;which affected 10,000 employees, Platformer reported. The ethics and society team within the artificial intelligence organisation looked after ensuring whether or not AI principles were being implemented during product design.&nbsp;

Microsoft has doubled down on the implementation of AI innovation. The tech company also invested billions into its partnership with OpenAI, which is an American AI research and deployment company.&nbsp;

Microsoft has even teased a Thursday event about how it is "reinventing productivity with AI," which is expected to showcase its competing Word processor.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/toxic-forever-chemicals-found-in-toilet-paper-is-a-significant-source-of-water-pollution-study-571701">Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ found in toilet paper is a significant source of water pollution: Study</a>&nbsp;

The ethics and society team appeared to be a vital cog as the company is aiming to make controversial AI tools available to the mainstream. But concerns were raised when reports emerged that the entire ethics team was sacked.&nbsp;

However, Microsoft still maintains an active Office of Responsible AI, which is tasked with creating rules and principles to govern the company’s AI initiatives. Microsoft states: "We are committed to making sure AI systems are developed responsibly and in ways that warrant people's trust".&nbsp;

As quoted by Platformer, the company said in a statement: "Microsoft is committed to developing AI products and experiences safely and responsibly, and does so by investing in people, processes, and partnerships that prioritise this."&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;US bank failures impact mutual fund portfolios&nbsp;

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It added, "Over the past six years, we have increased the number of people across our product teams and within the Office of Responsible AI who, along with all of us at Microsoft, are accountable for ensuring we put our AI principles into practice. […] We appreciate the trailblazing work the ethics and society team did to help us on our ongoing responsible AI journey."&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Platformer reported that employees told the outlet that the ethics and society team played a critical role. As quoted, one former employee said: "People would look at the principles coming out of the office of responsible AI and say, 'I don’t know how this applies'. Our job was to show them and to create rules in areas where there were none."&nbsp; 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

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Microsoft has sacked its entire ethics and society team in the fresh round of layoffs which affected 10,000 employees, Platformer reported. The ethics and society team within the artificial intelligence organisation looked after ensuring whether or not AI principles were being implemented during product design.

Microsoft has sacked its entire ethics and society team in the fresh round of layoffs which affected 10,000 employees, Platformer reported. The ethics and society team within the artificial intelligence organisation looked after ensuring whether or not AI principles were being implemented during product design. Microsoft has doubled down on the implementation of AI innovation. The tech company also invested billions into its partnership with OpenAI, which is an American AI research and deployment company. Microsoft has even teased a Thursday event about how it is "reinventing productivity with AI," which is expected to showcase its competing Word processor. ALSO READ | Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ found in toilet paper is a significant source of water pollution: Study The ethics and society team appeared to be a vital cog as the company is aiming to make controversial AI tools available to the mainstream. But concerns were raised when reports emerged that the entire ethics team was sacked. However, Microsoft still maintains an active Office of Responsible AI, which is tasked with creating rules and principles to govern the company’s AI initiatives. Microsoft states: "We are committed to making sure AI systems are developed responsibly and in ways that warrant people's trust". As quoted by Platformer, the company said in a statement: "Microsoft is committed to developing AI products and experiences safely and responsibly, and does so by investing in people, processes, and partnerships that prioritise this." WATCH | US bank failures impact mutual fund portfolios × It added, "Over the past six years, we have increased the number of people across our product teams and within the Office of Responsible AI who, along with all of us at Microsoft, are accountable for ensuring we put our AI principles into practice. […] We appreciate the trailblazing work the ethics and society team did to help us on our ongoing responsible AI journey." Meanwhile, Platformer reported that employees told the outlet that the ethics and society team played a critical role. As quoted, one former employee said: "People would look at the principles coming out of the office of responsible AI and say, 'I don’t know how this applies'. Our job was to show them and to create rules in areas where there were none." (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

No ethics needed for AI? Microsoft sacks entire ethics and society team that ensures AI principles

As many as 113 companies across the world have laid off employees since the beginning of this year with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/microsoft-to-start-laying-off-employees-from-today-report-553642">Microsoft Corporation becoming the latest to do so</a>. Microsoft said it would&nbsp;cut 10,000 jobs by the end of third quarter of fiscal 2023.&nbsp;The layoffs will result in a charge of $1.2 billion in the second quarter of fiscal 2023, the software giant added.&nbsp;

Not just in technology, companies (some of them from India and the United States as well) in other sectors have also laid off their employees since this year started, according to data published by Layoffs.fyi

Here's a list of some of the companies:&nbsp;

&gt; Go Mechanic: A car repair startup in India- Go Mechanic will layoff 70 per cent of its workforce. In a LinkedIn post, Go Mechanic's cofounder Amit Bhasin said, "We made errors in judgement as we followed growth at all costs, including in regard to financial reporting, which we deeply regret." Bhasin said the restructuring is going to be painful, adding a third-party firm will be carrying out an audit of the business.&nbsp;

&gt; Unity Software: Unity Software — a video game software development company based in San Francisco, United States, said that it would lay off 284 employees. The company said that some of the employees losing their jobs might be hired for other positions if they apply for openings, the Wall Street Journal reported. Unity Software's chief executive officer (CEO) John Riccitiello told the business newspaper that the company was dealing very specifically with overlap and a handful of projects are going in the closet. In June last year, the company had cut around 225 jobs.&nbsp;

&gt; ShareChat: Indian social media platform ShareChat — which is backed by Twitter, and Google, has laid off 20 per cent of its workforce because of uncertain market conditions. ShareChat has around 2,300 employees and the layoff would affect 500 people, news agency IANS reported citing other media reports. The company has announced a financial package for those affected by the layoff. "We are taking a very difficult decision today to part ways with around 20 per cent of our talented FTEs (full-time employees) to ensure the financial health and longevity of our company in the current uncertain macroeconomic environment," Ankush Sachdeva, the co-founder and CEO of the company, said in a note to the employees.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/software-developer-wins-top-jobs-of-2023-despite-massive-layoffs-report-551055">'Software developer' wins top jobs of 2023, despite massive layoffs: Report</a>

&gt; LendingClub: San Francisco-based financial services company LendingClub announced on January 12 that it laid off 14% of its workforce, or 225 employees, expecting the job cuts to result in savings of nearly $25 million to $30 million this year. On January 25, LendingClub will report fourth quarter and full-year 2022 earnings. A report by the news agency Reuters last week said the company expects revenue to be between $260 million and $263 million and a net income in the range of $21 million and $24 million for the fourth quarter.

&gt; Ola: As many as 200 employees from Indian multinational ridesharing company Ola were fired as part of a restructuring exercise. The layoffs constitute 10 per cent of its 2,000-strong engineer workforce "as part of a larger restructuring exercise towards its electric dream". Ola said it plans to hire 5,000 engineers as it doubles down on new engineering verticals across streams.&nbsp;

&gt; Flexport: American supply chain software startup Flexport is laying off 20% of its workforce or 640 employees. A memo by co-chief executive officers (CEOs) Dave Clark and Ryan Peterson said, "We are overall in a good position but are not immune to the macroeconomic downturn that has impacted businesses around the world. Our customers have been impacted by these challenging conditions, resulting in a reduction to our volume forecasts through 2023." CNBC reported on January 11 that the memo added that lower volumes, combined with improved efficiencies as a result of new organizational and operational structures, meant it was overstaffed in a variety of roles.&nbsp;

&gt; Dunzo: Quick-grocery delivery provider in India — Dunzo announced on Monday (January 16) that it has laid off three per cent of its workforce amidst cost-cutting measures. The company's co-founder and CEO Kabeer Biswas told IANS they were looking at team structures and network design to build efficiency into our teams. "We had to part ways with 3 per cent of our team strength. Whatever the numbers, these are people who chose to build their careers with Dunzo, and it is sad to have talented colleagues leave us," Biswas said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

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As many as 113 companies across the world have laid off employees since the beginning of this year with Microsoft Corporation becoming the latest to do so. Microsoft said it would cut 10,000 jobs by the end of third quarter of fiscal 2023.

As many as 113 companies across the world have laid off employees since the beginning of this year with Microsoft Corporation becoming the latest to do so. Microsoft said it would cut 10,000 jobs by the end of third quarter of fiscal 2023. The layoffs will result in a charge of $1.2 billion in the second quarter of fiscal 2023, the software giant added. Not just in technology, companies (some of them from India and the United States as well) in other sectors have also laid off their employees since this year started, according to data published by Layoffs.fyi Here's a list of some of the companies: > Go Mechanic: A car repair startup in India- Go Mechanic will layoff 70 per cent of its workforce. In a LinkedIn post, Go Mechanic's cofounder Amit Bhasin said, "We made errors in judgement as we followed growth at all costs, including in regard to financial reporting, which we deeply regret." Bhasin said the restructuring is going to be painful, adding a third-party firm will be carrying out an audit of the business. > Unity Software: Unity Software — a video game software development company based in San Francisco, United States, said that it would lay off 284 employees. The company said that some of the employees losing their jobs might be hired for other positions if they apply for openings, the Wall Street Journal reported. Unity Software's chief executive officer (CEO) John Riccitiello told the business newspaper that the company was dealing very specifically with overlap and a handful of projects are going in the closet. In June last year, the company had cut around 225 jobs. > ShareChat: Indian social media platform ShareChat — which is backed by Twitter, and Google, has laid off 20 per cent of its workforce because of uncertain market conditions. ShareChat has around 2,300 employees and the layoff would affect 500 people, news agency IANS reported citing other media reports. The company has announced a financial package for those affected by the layoff. "We are taking a very difficult decision today to part ways with around 20 per cent of our talented FTEs (full-time employees) to ensure the financial health and longevity of our company in the current uncertain macroeconomic environment," Ankush Sachdeva, the co-founder and CEO of the company, said in a note to the employees. ALSO READ | 'Software developer' wins top jobs of 2023, despite massive layoffs: Report > LendingClub: San Francisco-based financial services company LendingClub announced on January 12 that it laid off 14% of its workforce, or 225 employees, expecting the job cuts to result in savings of nearly $25 million to $30 million this year. On January 25, LendingClub will report fourth quarter and full-year 2022 earnings. A report by the news agency Reuters last week said the company expects revenue to be between $260 million and $263 million and a net income in the range of $21 million and $24 million for the fourth quarter. > Ola: As many as 200 employees from Indian multinational ridesharing company Ola were fired as part of a restructuring exercise. The layoffs constitute 10 per cent of its 2,000-strong engineer workforce "as part of a larger restructuring exercise towards its electric dream". Ola said it plans to hire 5,000 engineers as it doubles down on new engineering verticals across streams. > Flexport: American supply chain software startup Flexport is laying off 20% of its workforce or 640 employees. A memo by co-chief executive officers (CEOs) Dave Clark and Ryan Peterson said, "We are overall in a good position but are not immune to the macroeconomic downturn that has impacted businesses around the world. Our customers have been impacted by these challenging conditions, resulting in a reduction to our volume forecasts through 2023." CNBC reported on January 11 that the memo added that lower volumes, combined with improved efficiencies as a result of new organizational and operational structures, meant it was overstaffed in a variety of roles. > Dunzo: Quick-grocery delivery provider in India — Dunzo announced on Monday (January 16) that it has laid off three per cent of its workforce amidst cost-cutting measures. The company's co-founder and CEO Kabeer Biswas told IANS they were looking at team structures and network design to build efficiency into our teams. "We had to part ways with 3 per cent of our team strength. Whatever the numbers, these are people who chose to build their careers with Dunzo, and it is sad to have talented colleagues leave us," Biswas said. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

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