A group of current and former Microsoft employees has issued an open letter criticizing the company's aggressive push into artificial intelligence. The letter, signed by “Concerned Microsoft Workers,” highlights concerns over employee workloads, job security, customer safety, and the environmental impact of AI infrastructure. The employees accuse Microsoft of adopting a “speed-at-all-costs” approach to AI development and deployment.
The letter, first reported by The New York Times, describes a demoralizing workplace environment due to heavy AI investments, repeated reorganizations, and rising workloads. Employees also express concerns that AI could eventually replace jobs. They object to pressure to use AI tools without adequate training or clear explanations of their benefits, often requiring additional time to correct AI-generated output or revert to older systems.
The group calls on Microsoft to stop linking AI tool usage to performance rewards or disciplinary measures and to involve workers in decisions around AI deployment. The letter also raises broader concerns, including user safety, data-center expansion, and the environmental costs of AI infrastructure. The employees urge the company to reaffirm its commitments to becoming carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste by 2030.
Separately, Microsoft has offered voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 employees, or more than a quarter of its global workforce, across the US, Canada, India, and the UK. The program, announced on October 26, aims to give employees greater flexibility and help participating businesses adapt their workforces. However, the open letter predates the buyout announcement and was circulating among employees before the program was revealed.