Microsoft lays off dozens of employees at its Israel development center

Microsoft Israel has summoned dozens of employees at its Israel development center to a pre-dismissal hearing, about 50 Copilot Studio employees. According to estimates, roughly half of the employees will remain in another role. The layoffs stem from an organizational change at global Microsoft. The company employs about 3,000 R&D workers in Israel.

Microsoft Israel Research and Development has summoned dozens of employees at its Israel development center to a pre-dismissal hearing. This concerns about 50 employees of Copilot Studio, a platform for developing AI agents and automating business processes. According to estimates, roughly half of the employees will remain in another role at the research and development center. The layoffs stem from an organizational change at global Microsoft that affects the group in Israel. Microsoft currently employs about 3,000 research and development workers in Israel. Recently the company announced that the center's longtime CEO, Michal Blumenstyk-Braverman, is retiring from her position and being replaced by Ohad Yassin. A Microsoft spokesperson said the company continues to examine its activity and organizational structure in order to adapt them to changing needs, and that the process includes changes in team structure and in some cases difficult decisions affecting employees.