Microsoft News Tracker

The Microsoft layoff rumors continue. Franklin Paul and Jim Finkle at Reuters – Microsoft expected to cut jobs as profits weaken:

Microsoft Corp is expected to post a quarterly profit that misses its own target and announce thousands of job cuts this week as the global economic slump hurts even the technology industry’s biggest players.
…
Checks indicate that Microsoft is likely to engage in headcount reductions to the tune of 6,000 to 8,000 employees or 6 percent to 8 percent of its 95,000 workforce," said McAdams Wright Ragen analyst Sid Parakh. "Our checks also revealed some speculation over the potential for a second round of cuts in some groups sometime later in the year."

Ina Fried at CNET – Microsoft’s internal org chart down amid layoff chatter (spotted at Latest Layoff News):

With rumors of layoffs swirling, some Microsoft workers were dismayed on Wednesday to discover that the company’s online internal organizational chart tool is scheduled to be down until Friday.

Mini-Microsoft – FY09Q2 Results + Town Hall:

Town Hall Friday: lots of rumors flying around, quarterly results Thursday, and then a Town Hall Friday morning. Let’s hope that all spells resolution to the fear, uncertainty, and doubt stirred up to a crescendo as of late. The good-ending scenario is that Steve Ballmer gets out there and finally rips the rumors to shreds and proclaims that Microsoft is a one-of-a-kind juggernaut of a company that is going to be in the position to take advantage of the downturn to re-invest and surge past its competition while they are mired in the mud of the recession.

The not-so-good-ending scenario is that there’s some kind of tough-love re-org truth to all the rumors as the leadership balances out and we get to hear how everything is expected to shake out.

Stay tuned.