Redundancies hit Linkedin News as part of global Microsoft cuts
Following Microsoft’s announcement earlier in the month of a 3% cut to its total workforce, several local Linkedin News editors have been made redundant this week.
Microsoft, which owns Linkedin, is laying off around 3% of its workforce — approximately 6,000 people — across all levels, teams, and geographies. According to CNBC, it’s the tech giant’s largest round of redundancies since the elimination of 10,000 roles in 2023.
A Microsoft spokesperson told Mumbrella in a statement: “We continue to implement organisational changes necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace.”
Despite attempting to minimise redundancy by “streamlining its processes, procedures, and roles”, local operations to Linkedin’s news offering were hit this week. Microsoft did not confirm exact numbers.
Mumbrella understands Microsoft is attempting to reduce layers, with fewer managers, and leverage new technology and capabilities, as part of an effort to recalibrate its workforce.
Melbourne-based tech and innovation news editor Marty McCarthy, and Sydney-based senior news editor Natalie MacDonald and senior editor Cayla Dengate were among those affected. Each of them took to Linkedin this week to share the news.
McCarthy was with Linkedin News for three years, and described it as “one of the most rewarding chapters” of his career.
“My time at LinkedIn has been a gift and I’m endlessly grateful. I’ve had the privilege of helping tell the stories of Australia’s brightest minds in science, tech and startups,” he wrote on Linkedin.
“To the hundreds of creators I’ve worked with: I learned more from you than I can express — not just about technology, and your industries and research, but about leadership and meaningful careers.”
MacDonald and Dengate were both with the business for just over seven years. MacDonald had only been back from parental leave for six weeks.
“…My role at LinkedIn was impacted by recent layoffs — closing a chapter filled with more fun, growth, and bloody good humans than one post can possibly hold,” MacDonald wrote on Linkedin.
Dengate published an opinion piece on her experience in the Sydney Morning Herald, saying she found out about her fate in the middle of the night.
“Groggily, I reached for my phone and opened my work emails to see a slew of emails had popped in at about 2am. A jolt of adrenaline hit me. It’s happening,” she wrote.
“The meeting was short, confirming that yes, my job was ‘affected’. It turns out almost half the team had a similar meeting, and I was in reassuringly good company.”
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Lauren McNamara is the associate editor at Mumbrella, covering the agency beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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