WoW, "As soon as this week", that's a bummer for anybody on the receiving end of that type of layoff.

I've been to the offices in reading before. That's a lot of hardworking people there, but still if you have got m$ on your cv (curriculum vitae, for those who don't know) then your prospects are generally high.

Based on local news reports, this has to do with Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia mobile phones. Apparently there now are "duplicate" functions because of that and people (most likely former Nokian employees) will have to go. Makes you wonder what Elop and Ballmer were thinking in the first place... why did Microsoft buy Nokia if they now need to let people go? Or, more likely, that's just being used as an excuse to cut costs.

Elop's performance as CEO was one of the worst in history, it was so bad that its not out of the realms of possibility that he was just a Microsoft plant.

"...Last week, Nadella circulated a memo to employees promising to "flatten the organization and develop leaner business processes" but deferred any comment on widely expected job cuts at the software company. Nadella said he would address detailed organizational and financial issues for the company's new financial year, which started at the beginning of this month, when Microsoft reports quarterly results on July 22." http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/15/us-microsoft-redundancies-idUSKBN0FK07O20140715 The ending of the Reuter's article on the same topic. This was to be expected when integrating an aquisition. It's tough to be with the company that is being taken over. Why keep redundant positions. Nokia was just a vehicle Microsoft used to gain footing in the mobile phone market. Why reinvent the wheel when purchasing it can be accomplished; cheaper and quicker. Both articles also mentioned that Microsoft has more employees than Apple. That is another reason why Microsoft needs to reorganize their labor force. It is easier to be on the receiving end of layoffs. Working with directors in thinning out the herd is worse. Not all us financial guys are heartless bastards.

Microshaft = Cheap.

Could this be related to Win8/8.1 both being terrible?

Elop's performance as CEO was one of the worst in history, it was so bad that its not out of the realms of possibility that he was just a Microsoft plant.

Yup, and the fact that both him and Ballmer are now "elsewhere" raises some questions too... I knew I was being stupid for having highish hopes that Nokia's acquisition by Microsoft would actually improve things here. Yeah, because that's what happens with these things, sigh... Countdown to shutting down the Nokia office/plant in Oulu has begun... thanks a lot you twats! By which I mean the Nokia Board of Directors.

"...Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) said it will eliminate as many as 18,000 jobs, the largest round of cuts in its history, as Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella integrates Nokia Oyj’s handset unit and slims down the software maker. The restructuring, amounting to about 14 percent of its workforce, includes 12,500 Nokia factory and professional positions -- half the number of employees added in the acquisition. At Microsoft, cuts will be in sales, marketing and engineering. The reductions are expected to be completed by June 30, 2015, and will result in a pretax charge of $1.1 billion to $1.6 billion, Microsoft said in a statement today..." http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-17/microsoft-cuts-18-000-jobs-as-nadella-streamlines-for-cloud-era.html Today's article's opening statement from Bloomberg; layoffs stated at 18,000 now. This is interesting but am following the Apple-IBM Joint Venture news closer. Both are trying to gain a presence in the MDM sector; the only place Blackberry is the #1 player.

18,000 people lost high end jobs today. They are taking a page out of Google's book by getting leaner.

Aye, this just in: 18 000 jobs go, of which 12 500 concern former Nokian employees. 1 100 jobs are cut from Finland and the abovementioned Oulu R&D unit will be completely shut down. Elop (nowadays head of the MS mobile device division, apparently) stated that "Finland will still be the hub of innovation and development..." Can't help it, this pisses me off big time and not just because of the Finnish layoffs. Then again, Nokia made basically nothing but mistakes since the first Communicator so I guess they had it coming. For example, Nokia apparently had a concept similar to iPhone drafted up already back in the nineties. They decided not to realise it as "unprofitable". Yeah, we are a centre of innovation indeed. When it comes to realising innovations, not so much...