Microsoft Slashing 4,000 Sales and Marketing Jobs

In a move that mostly affects workers outside of the U.S., Microsoft announced that it will be laying off anywhere from 3,000 to 4,000 sales and marketing employees, per The New York Times.

The exact number is unclear because in some European countries, the law allows employees to negotiate with employers when handed a pink slip.

This follows news of a major reorganization of Microsoft’s sales department. In a companywide email sent last week, Microsoft’s executive vice president Judson Althoff told employees that the reshuffling was meant to “enable us to align the right resources for the right customer at the right time.” He saw growth potential in “cloud offerings in data analysis and artificial intelligence, and helping companies in every industry to become digital businesses, using Microsoft tools,” per the Times.

The last major round of global layoffs at Microsoft came in 2014, when 18,000 jobs were cut.