Microsoft cuts 7,000 jobs as mid-level management faces AI-driven shakeup

Microsoft is laying off nearly 7,000 employees—3% of its global staff—in its largest job cut since 2023. The move aims to flatten management layers amid rising automation and AI influence. While the company frames the decision as a push for agility, the timing echoes industry-wide shifts where AI’s reach is quietly displacing traditional managerial roles and reshaping operational hierarchies.