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Microsoft workers describe a year of abrupt cuts that upended careers and confidence in job security. After eliminating 6,000 roles in May and about 9,000 in July — following nearly 2,000 performance-based reductions earlier — the company said most moves aimed to streamline layers, part of a broader corporate flattening as firms eye leaner operations and AI-era efficiencies. Veterans and newer hires alike recount shock and reinvention: a 31-year employee “de-aging” his résumé, a side business becoming a lifeline, a relocation to family to save costs, and networking that led one ex-staffer to Meta.

Prepared by Christopher Adams and reviewed by editorial team.