Microsoft has told managers in its cloud unit and North American sales groups to pause new hiring, with an exception for candidates who already had offers, The Information reported, citing three employees.
The report said executives cited cost cuts and higher margins, and that the freeze does not apply across the company, as teams working on Copilot are still hiring.
The move comes ahead of Microsoft’s fiscal year-end in June, as big tech firms try to offset heavy spending on AI infrastructure.
Microsoft had about 228,000 employees as of June 2025 and has faced investor pressure after slower cloud growth in the October to December quarter alongside record capital spending.
🔗 Source: Reuters
Originally written by: Aiko Gao Ishida
Source: Tech in Asia
Published on: 27 March 2026
Link to original article: Microsoft said to freeze hiring in cloud, sales
