Microsoft plans to cut up to 18,000 jobsJuly 17, 2014 - 16:51 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Microsoft is to cut up to 18,000 jobs marking the deepest cuts in the technology firm's 39-year history, according to BBC News. The bulk of the cuts, around 12,500, will be in its phone unit Nokia, which Microsoft bought in April, the firm said. Microsoft pledged to cut $600mln per year in costs within 18 months of closing the acquisition. The cuts are much more severe than the 6,000 initially expected. Chief executive officer Satya Nadella, who took the helm in February, wants the firm to shift its focus away from software to online services, apps and devices. "Making these decisions to change are difficult, but necessary," Nadella wrote in the announcement to staff. The firm said it also planned to have fewer layers of management "to accelerate the flow of information and decision making." Microsoft said staff affected by the job cuts would be notified over the next six months. Last week, Nadella rebranded the firm as "the productivity and platform company for the mobile-first and cloud-first world." The cuts are aimed at helping Microsoft better compete with rivals including Google and Apple. The last significant job cuts at the firm were in early 2009, when previous chief executive Steve Ballmer axed 5,800 staff. Related links: Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Viva-MTS: Tech solutions to modernize infrastructure of border village The border village has been the focus of Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values since 2015. “By Your Side”: IDBank's new support program for displaced Artsakh citizens IDBank is launching a long-term social support program for forcibly displaced Artsakh residents. The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. |