Microsoft-owned LinkedIn cuts hundreds of roles, reports say

LinkedIn is reportedly laying off hundreds of employees, marking the latest job cuts at Big Tech companies.

The Microsoft subsidiary's cuts, first reported by Bloomberg, are expected to affect engineering, product and marketing roles, keeping with the trend of the tech industry's series of layoffs over the past year.

The cuts will hit about 5% of LinkedIn's roughly 17,000-person workforce, according to Reuters.

LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft since 2016, did not respond to a request for comment.

Multiple LinkedIn employees posted on LinkedIn's site Wednesday that they had been affected by the layoffs, including several based in the Seattle area.

Microsoft operates a small office devoted to LinkedIn in downtown Bellevue, despite the tech giant's mass exodus from the city in the wake of the pandemic.

After leaving its office space at the Lincoln Square North tower, Microsoft kept two floors for LinkedIn, which can hold at least 120 employees. It is unclear how many LinkedIn employees are based in the Seattle area.

The layoffs follow a leadership change at LinkedIn. Less than a month ago, LinkedIn Chief Operating Officer Daniel Shapero was tapped as the new CEO. LinkedIn's previous CEO, Ryan Roslansky, moved to Microsoft last year as an executive vice president overseeing LinkedIn and Microsoft Office.

LinkedIn's cuts add to Microsoft's workforce reductions over the past year. Microsoft laid off about 15,000 employees last year as it continued to pour billions of dollars into artificial intelligence investments - costs that are still piling up for the company this year.

Microsoft is also managing its head count in new, creative ways. The company announced last month that it is offering a one-time voluntary retirement program to eligible employees. About 8,750 U.S.-based employees received the offer last week and have until June 8 to make a decision. If they take it, their last day with Microsoft will be July 1, the beginning of the company's 2027 fiscal year.

Microsoft's cuts last year led to a drop in the company's overall head count during the first three months of this year, Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood said during an earnings call with analysts last month. She also disclosed that the buyout program will likely lead to a further drop in workforce numbers this year, and that it will cost roughly $900 million.

During Microsoft's earnings release last month, the company reported that LinkedIn brought in $4.8 billion in revenue for the third quarter of Microsoft's 2026 fiscal year, which ran from January through March. That represented a 12% year-over-year growth. It also followed a quarter in which LinkedIn's quarterly revenue passed $5 billion for the first time.

The disconnect between LinkedIn's financial results and the reported layoffs mirrors a similar issue that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella addressed last year during cuts. As the company pushes forward with AI and the significant costs associated with it, Microsoft is looking to prune where it can in order to stay agile and flatten corporate layers.

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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 11:27 AM.