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Microsoft posts $36.6bn profit JUST DAYS after offering buyouts to 60,000 workers, a quarter of its staff

Microsoft's 6,000 UK employees are among those eligible for the voluntary buyout scheme, which excludes staff in sales, marketing and data centres.
Microsoft's 6,000 UK employees are among those eligible for the voluntary buyout scheme, which excludes staff in sales, marketing and data centres.

Microsoft's Azure cloud division surged 48% in the September quarter, driving total revenue to $92.3bn and profit to $36.6bn — both well ahead of Wall Street's expectations of $90.6bn and $35.1bn respectively. The results landed just two days after the firm offered voluntary buyouts to around 60,000 employees as it redirects billions into artificial intelligence infrastructure. Shares rose nearly 2.9% in after-hours trading in New York on Wednesday.

Azure's 48% growth was the standout engine, lifting Microsoft's overall cloud revenue by 30% year on year.

The buyout offer — Microsoft's second this year after a 7% early-retirement round in April — covers staff in Canada, India, the UK and the US.

Microsoft's global headcount exceeds 220,000, while big tech rivals Amazon, Meta and Alphabet are forecast to pour over $700bn combined into AI chips and data centres this year.

MoreBBC News - TechMicrosoft posts $36.6bn profit after offering buyouts to one in four workersThe GuardianMicrosoft posts $92.3bn in quarterly revenue after offering buyouts to 60,000 employeesDaily MailMicrosoft CEO earned $90.6m salary last year... $6m less than the year before after the computing giant's stock tankedReutersMicrosoft beats quarterly cloud revenue estimates
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