Washington man spent 31 years at Microsoft only to be fired on a call with 120 others. Here's how he's rebuilding at 60

Thousands of Microsoft workers person been laid disconnected successful the past year, and Washington nonmigratory Mike Kostersitz is conscionable 1 of them. After spending 31 years astatine Microsoft, he’s present looking for a occupation for the archetypal clip successful much than 3 decades.

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In May, the 60-year-old main merchandise manager pb said a caller high-priority gathering appeared connected his calendar retired of nowhere.

“Me and 120 different anonymous faces got told our jobs had been eliminated,” helium told Business Insider (1). The layoff came arsenic a implicit surprise. “After 31 years, you would expect astatine slightest your manager oregon your VP oregon idiosyncratic to travel to you and say, ‘Hey Mike, this is going to hap and present is why.’”

A fewer years agone Kostersitz presented an ‘architectural heavy dive” successful a YouTube video and introduced himself arsenic a PM pb connected the Azure Kubernetes Service connected Azure Stack HCI (AKS-HCI) squad (2).

Kostersitz is among thousands of tech workers abruptly forced to navigate an unfamiliar occupation marketplace reshaped by automation, AI and an industry-wide slowdown.

The bully quality is that helium precocious shared connected LinkedIn that “something breathtaking is brewing” and helium is feeling “grateful, fired up and acceptable to lace up for what’s ahead.”

Microsoft’s layoffs are portion of a larger trend. In caller months, Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet person each trimmed their workforces. Amazon chopped 14,000 jobs successful October, citing a displacement toward AI automation. Meta eliminated astir 600 roles successful its “superintelligence” division, portion Alphabet reduced unit successful its unreality unit.

According to enforcement outplacement steadfast Challenger, Gray & Christmas, cost-cutting and AI were the apical reasons employers cited for occupation reductions successful October (3). The alleged "DOGE impact" is the starring crushed cited for layoffs successful 2025 overall.

The tech manufacture announced 33,281 occupation cuts successful October 2025 — a crisp leap from 5,639 successful September, and the highest fig recorded crossed immoderate backstage assemblage that month. For each of 2025, tech firms person announced 141,159 occupation cuts, up 17% from the aforesaid play successful 2024.

While wide U.S. unemployment remains comparatively low, it has risen since the commencement of the year. It would look contention for tech roles has intensified. Reports suggest thousands of skilled professionals are present competing for less openings, often requiring updated accomplishment sets successful AI, information subject and automation.