WASHINGTON (TNND) — Tech giant Microsoft on Wednesday confirmed to The National News Desk it will axe about 9,000 employees.

The cuts will impact about 4% of the company’s roughly 228,000-person workforce. It follows similar cuts of about 6,000 employees made in May.

“We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company and teams for success in a dynamic marketplace,” a company spokesperson told The National News Desk.

Microsoft acknowledged the cuts will allow for increased agility by reducing the number of manager positions at the company. It also expects the cuts to empower employees to spend more time focusing on meaningful work.

“Even in the best of times, we have regularly adjusted our workforce to meet the strategic demands of the business,” the spokesperson added.

The company last week notched an all-time high stock price of $497.45. It also reported raking in $26 billion in the third quarter of fiscal year 2025.

Microsoft’s cuts likely represent a bullish attitude toward artificial intelligence, which continues to grow in prevalence in the tech industry. Scaling its artificial intelligence ventures could prove costly as it continues to invest in resource intensive data centers.

Other major companies announced layoffs in June including Walmart, Disney and Citigroup. Financial hardships stemming from tariffs and global trade tensions could be to blame for contributing to these decisions.

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