Microsoft prepares for biggest ever job cuts

Microsoft is reportedly planning its biggest job cuts for five years. Bloomberg reports that the reductions will likely affect marketing, engineering, and the former Nokia employees that make up Microsoft’s new mobile group. The cuts could be the biggest yet, after Microsoft reduced its headcount by 5,800 in 2009, and reductions are also expected to affect divisions that overlap with the Nokia phone business. Some job cuts will also reportedly hit groups like the global Xbox marketing team.

Microsoft currently has 127,104 employees as of June 5th, and previous reports from Gigaom suggest that the software maker might be planning to cut as much as 10 percent of its workforce. It’s not immediately clear when the rumored job cuts will take place, but Bloomberg suggests it could be as soon as this week. Microsoft’s annual sales meeting takes place on July 22nd, the same day that the company reports its latest earnings results. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has promised to provide more details on the company’s plans "to focus on our core" on July 22nd, with job cuts expected as part of the restructuring and integration of Nokia staff.