I'm the ex-VP of HR at Microsoft. Here's what the 60,000 employees mulling a buyout may not realize.

Microsoft is offering buyout packages to some 60,000 employees, or more than 25% of the workforce. That's a huge number in any terms, and it sent a signal and shock wave through the industry this week.

I'm the former VP of HR for Microsoft, and although I've been away from the company for some time and have no insider information, having been on the inside at Microsoft and in the industry for 50 years, here is what Microsoft employees should be considering — and what they may not realize about taking a buyout offer. READ MORE

There’s not enough money in the world to pay for the AI boom

The biggest bet in the history of the United States keeps getting bigger, and we’re all hanging on for the ride.

Technology companies recently launched a record scramble for cash to pay for data centers, computer chips, and technology and equipment to power artificial intelligence. This boom is so expensive that even Silicon Valley giants are bleeding cash, and companies are now racing one another to collect or borrow other people’s money for the estimated $10 trillion of AI-related spending in coming years. READ MORE

Having Windows Outlook access problems? An update might have caused it.

Microsoft may have borked Outlook for some folks with a new Windows update.

Specifically, a Windows Server security update has caused access issues for Outlook on some Exchange Server systems, according to a Microsoft security note (cited by BleepingComputer). This is specifically affecting systems running Windows Server 2019 and later, per Microsoft. As a result, users may not be able to access Outlook, or sent messages might just remain in the Outlook outbox without actually going anywhere. READ MORE

Microsoft offers a quarter of its global workforce voluntary buyouts as AI spending accelerates

Microsoft has offered 60,000 employees, or about 27% of its global workforce, voluntary buyouts as the software giant spends heavily on artificial intelligence.

The company’s voluntary exit offer was available to eligible employees in Canada, India, the United Kingdom and the United States, the company’s Chief People Officer Amy Coleman wrote in a blog post Monday. READ MORE

Tesla's new Roadster turns in air with SpaceX thrusters

Tesla unveiled a redesigned Roadster powered with rocket-style thrusters on Thursday and said it would start production in 2028, more than a decade after it first showed a next-generation version of its electric sports car.

The white two-seater vehicle, developed in collaboration with CEO Elon Musk's ‌rocket company SpaceX, drove upside down on a ramp using a suction system, turned in the air and landed using built-in thrusters. Later in the event it used the ‌thrusters to jump over a truck and other vehicles, twisting in the air during the maneuver. READ MORE

AI’s Most Active Startups Are Becoming Serial Acquirers

Some of the AI industry’s fastest-growing startups are becoming serial acquirers, buying smaller companies to fill product gaps, enter new markets and bring specialized teams in-house, a review of Crunchbase data shows. While AI giant OpenAI is by far the busiest of these buyers, well-funded startups in legal tech, customer service and software development have also made multiple acquisitions this year.

The buying spree has pushed acquisitions of AI startups by other venture-backed AI companies to 195 through Sept. 29, according to Crunchbase data — 14% more than in all of 2025. Yet the number of buyers grew just 2%, indicating that increasingly active acquirers are driving much of the increase. READ MORE

7 reflections to build culture at a startup

In my first week at a startup, I found myself sitting with a 22-year-old graphic designer getting ready to run to FedEx to pick up some printing, then take the printout to Whole Foods to see how it looked on the shelf.

Not long before, I’d been surrounded by a team of 20 graphic designers, several supporting departments, and an ad agency to back me up. The culture shift from corporate to startup life is transformative. READ MORE

Who are salaried workers indebted to? How much of their monthly salary will be taken away by AI every month?

Recently OpenAI pulled a bold move: the $200-per-month ChatGPT Pro keeps its original price, but the available usage quota has been cut, which immediately sparked widespread outrage on overseas social platforms. Even more outrageous, it also launched a new tier priced at $500 per month, which essentially means the former "unlimited access version" has been downgraded to a "trial version". If you want to keep enjoying full features, you have to pay more!

The first reaction of many people after seeing this is not anger, but a sense of unease. These days, AI tools are "getting higher and higher pay" at an increasingly fast pace. As their "bosses", shouldn't we also consider cutting unnecessary costs and improving efficiency? READ MORE

Men are losing ground in the labor market. Here’s why

Friday’s weaker-than-expected jobs report may feel especially lousy for men.

Women outnumbered men in the workforce for eight straight months as of September, according to an analysis of government data by Indeed. That’s the longest stretch since 2010, the job search platform found.

“Back then, the gap emerged because men were losing jobs,” said Cory Stahle, senior economist at Indeed. “This time, it’s because women are gaining them.” READ MORE

AI: Full Speed Ahead in a Dark Unknown

Kristen Welker asked Bill Gates last weekend on “Meet the Press” whether artificial intelligence could lead to the end of humanity. Mr. Gates replied that if weaponized, AI is powerful enough to “drive events that cause a billion deaths.” “It’s pretty hard to get to 100%,” he said, almost comfortingly. Relying on AI companies to police themselves is insufficient: “No one thinks self-regulation is enough.” A failure to mandate safeguards is “completely irresponsible.” “We have created an intelligent species that in many respects is already smarter than we are.” In the next few years it will be “insanely smarter than we are.” READ MORE

Why candidates are burning out before they apply

Indeed found that 40% of job seekers feel unprepared to manage today's job hunt. The conclusion comes from a survey of 1,501 people who were actively either applying for jobs or casually looking. So, how many potential applicants decide the process is not worth starting?

A confusing job market

Applicants face a job market that often requires them to invest time without knowing whether a role is actively being filled or when a decision may come, according to Indeed. That experience can determine whether they apply at all. "In other words, hiring is limited, and it's straining workers," wrote the researchers. READ MORE

Auditor RSM explores IPO to ward off private equity-backed rivals

RSM, one of the world’s largest accounting firms, is exploring a possible initial public offering as a wave of consolidation transforms the audit sector and disrupts the traditional partnership model. The 100-year-old partnership, which held out against selling to private equity during the deal boom of the past five years, has been sounding out bankers and revamping internal systems to give itself the option of a stock market flotation instead, according to people familiar with the matter. READ MORE

This is how AI could kill us all (and we won’t see it coming)

For the majority of people, artificial intelligence (AI) feels more like a moderately useful assistant than an existential threat. It can summarise a legal document, diagnose a toddler rash, suggest ways of saving a dying rose bush and compose an obsequious email. It can also make up facts and quotes, overuse irritating phrases and get confused by planning a simple train journey.

As a result, few of us felt a bolt of actual terror when Evan Hubinger, who leads alignment science at Anthropic, wrote earlier this month that he believed that there was a 10 per cent chance AI could kill all humans within the next decade. READ MORE