Firing with music: Microsoft threw a private party with Sting on the eve of the biggest layoffs since 2014

By: Elena Shcherban | 21.01.2023, 20:10

Microsoft recently announced massive layoffs: 10,000 employees will be out of work, which is almost 5% of the staff. This was the largest reduction in the company since 2014. After that, Microsoft was criticized, but not because of the layoffs, but because of the private party that the company held the day before.

Details

According to The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft held a private event Tuesday night in Davos, where the World Economic Forum was held. Microsoft's top executives were among the main attendees at the forum. The company then made a private party for about 50 people, including corporate executives.

A famous musician, Sting, performed for them on stage. It is clear that his fee was not cheap for the company - the amount could be about 500 000,00 dollars.

And the very next day, Microsoft announced massive layoffs. As CEO Satya Nadella explained in his blog post, they reflected the company's need to adapt to the global economic downturn.

Of course, the events are planned in advance, making them difficult to change. Nevertheless, the company's rather bizarre actions were deservedly subjected to harsh criticism from the media and the public.

Source: The Wall Street Journal