As Microsoft offers buyouts to 60,000 employees, staff write open letter; says: Working at Microsoft has become joyless and…

A group of current and former Microsoft employees is circulating an open letter accusing the company of chasing artificial intelligence at the cost of its own people, customers and climate goals. The letter has drawn fresh attention after Microsoft offered buyouts to about 60,000 employees, more than a quarter of its workforce. It is the largest such offer in the company’s history.Signed “Concerned Microsoft Workers,” the letter says that for many staff, “working at Microsoft has become joyless and demoralizing.” It ties the slump in morale to the period when the company ramped up its AI investments. It also points to heavy workloads, constant reorganisations and the threat of being replaced by AI.According to a report by The New York Times, the letter began doing the rounds among colleagues before the October 26…