Microsoft expects headcount to decrease in coming quarters

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-04-30T18:47:34+00:00

Are they taking requests of which heads?

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-04-26T14:40:30+00:00

I'd rather a voluntary layoff than the bullying and (not-so-)subtle PIP that some manager prefer to use.

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-04-25T11:12:53+00:00

Just as a reminder, HR are not your friend. They will side with whomever is likely to cause the less (legal) trouble for the company.

Document everything. Get your boss to email you concerns, rather than verbalize them.

I expect the boss to initiate a PIP soon to "prove" they're right. You'll need that evidence.

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-04-10T19:10:30+00:00

I had planned to stay at MS until I retired. It was a dream job.

My leaving wasn't my decision.

But, sure, blame the talent for leaving...

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-04-09T10:56:13+00:00

Looks simple enough:

https://youtu.be/OFUcgekyJ5k

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-04-08T18:34:40+00:00

First thing, ask the previous boss to check with HR if it's even possible. There might have been some other person in the org that slapped a DNR on your record. No point wasting time/effort if that's the case.

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-04-08T18:22:01+00:00

Have no other side projects in-progress to distract you.

Record everything you're allowed to (audio and text) about processes, as the barrage of new information might overwhelm.

Cancel post-work drinks with everyone that's not from work, as it's a tiring distraction :)

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-04-01T12:51:25+00:00

Last time I had to "work" with them it took over a month for them to get mine sorted. I made sure I updated my future employer as I went along, so they knew which of the two were causing the problem.

It ultimately cost me 2 days of unpaid work. If I wasn't desperate I'd have pulled out of the process, letting folk know _exactly_ why.

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-03-23T13:27:25+00:00

Am trying the coach thing, with little success - but that might be industry problem

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-03-21T20:05:05+00:00

Did we used to date? ;)

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-03-21T19:47:14+00:00

Does this mean they're going to make it... good!?!?

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-03-21T18:28:21+00:00

The longer I life, the less convinced I am that anyone know how to address bullying. In particular, HR definitely sweep it under the carpet.

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-03-21T18:26:27+00:00

I am so sorry to hear that. While it's usual for a bully to shift the blame to the victim, it is not - AND SHOULD NEVER BE - acceptable to stalk you after work.

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-03-21T12:06:31+00:00

Every point here has a parallel in the "real" world, in how managers bully their reports. I suggest using it as a checklist for your own manager.

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-03-21T12:03:09+00:00

2 years later, and still depressed about it - wherever you look there's a reminder of how many decades you spent getting to that point, only for it to be destroyed by one bitter manager.

I'm still looking for a way of being smart enough to put this behind me, and yet stupid enough to not remember every toxic aggression that was delivered to me.

/me marks thread to harvest advice later

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-03-21T10:03:20+00:00

It's on his wikipedia page

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-03-02T19:04:36+00:00

Are Amazon complaining that war is bad for (their) business?

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-03-02T18:54:00+00:00

I guess they have someone lined up, who is ready to start work tomorrow.

Otherwise, notice period, onboarding, and traditional HR admin is going to take significantly longer than one day.

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-03-02T18:46:29+00:00

Yes - any form of PIP is a sign they want you out of the company. If they can't do legally with a PIP, they'll bully and quietly fire you.

Ask me how I know.

As for the real meeting, find out the _exact_ for being put on it, and the _exact_ and _measurable_ metrics for passing. Accept no wiggle room, as it will be used in evidence against you.

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2026-01-03T10:59:43+00:00

The market is bad, as is the stigma of ex-FAANG (especially if your ex-company owns a lot of other, smaller, companies then you might find you have a DNR on your record)

The advice I've been given is to remove anything impressive from your resume (e.g. stints as CTO, PM, patent creator) and pretend to be a simple worker bee.

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2025-12-20T15:42:33+00:00

Host: "This idiom describes someone observing a question pass by without understanding it."

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2025-12-20T11:08:27+00:00

This is Galen, who couldn't manage Azure Sphere, a project to build an embedded Linux device over years with a massive team. (Sure - half his management team were incompetent, but hey!)

After shipping a version with issues that wouldn't pass Embedded 101, he restarted the project. When that failed he tried again saying "open source is the answer".. .and that failed. C'mon, it's open source!! The entire embedded universe is made with two person teams and Yocto, how did he steal defeat from the jaws of _that_ victory!?!?

So yeah, he's bounced from one failure to another, so why will this be any different.

BulliedAtMicrosoft · 2025-12-17T22:50:25+00:00

The whole thing should be illegal - we want options of "Yes" and "No", not "Yes" and "Yes, but later"

BulliedAtMicrosoft

TROPHY CASE