Microsoft may lay off over 5,000 employees in the coming weeks

Reports from multiple sources “with knowledge of [Microsoft’s] plans” say that the company is gearing up for its biggest wave of layoffs in five years, and that they may hit as early as this week.

The cuts are said to have been catalyzed by and focused on the changes to the company brought on by its acquisition of Nokia. As GamesIndustry reports, that deal brought nearly 30,000 employees into their work force, and it seems Microsoft has decided it’s time for a culling.

CEO Satya Nadella recently said that MS is preparing for company-wide changes but didn’t specify that heavy layoffs would be a part of that plan. However, sources, who’ve remained anonymous, say the cuts will top the 5,800 seen during the 2009 recession.

The number of layoffs suggests that the Xbox division may see some downsizing as well, despite Nadella’s newly professed confidence in the brand.

[Bloomberg]