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 spokesperson said the layoffs were small but didn't specify a figure. They also said the layoffs were unrelated to the job cuts Business Insider recently reported, which were targeting underperforming employees across the company.
One of the people familiar with the matter said employees started receiving notifications on Tuesday about layoffs in Microsoft's security unit. The group is run by Charlie Bell, a former top cloud executive at Amazon, who stunned the industry when he left for Microsoft in 2021 to lead a revamped cybersecurity effort.
Microsoft expanded its Secure Future Initiative last year, making security the top priority for every employee. The change followed years of security issues at Microsoft, including what the Department of Homeland Security called "a cascade of security failures" that allowed Chinese hackers to access emails from thousands of customers.
The company also made security a core priority on which employees are evaluated during performance reviews.
"If you're faced with the tradeoff 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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