Microsoft cuts 3,000 jobs, including 638 in the Puget Sound region

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Anthony Bolante

Microsoft cut 3,000 jobs Wednesday, including 638 local cuts, as part of its announced layoffs.

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Rachel Lerman

Staff Writer- Puget Sound Business Journal

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Microsoft today announced it would cut about 3,000 positions, including 638 in the Puget Sound region as part of the company's biggest round of layoffs ever which was announced this summer.

Wednesday's cuts bring the total number of layoffs from the Puget Sound region to 2,739.

This third round is expected to be the last for Microsoft in the near future. The company announced in July it would eliminate about 18,000 positions, about 12,500 of which came from Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's handset unit.

With Wednesday's round, Microsoft's layoffs are thought to be largely complete.

"We've taken another step that will complete almost all the 18,000 reductions announced in July," the company said in a statement. "The reductions happening today are spread across many different business units, and many different countries."

Many of the positions cut Wednesday are thought to be from human resources, sales, finance and IT, ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley reported. Foley also reports a few more cuts could come in early 2015.

The company cut about 13,000 positions initially in July, then announced a second round of about 2,100 last month.

Microsoft is undergoing a major restructuring, led by new CEO Satya Nadella, to remake its culture and push innovation. The company had grown sluggish over the years, and many are optimistic the restructuring could inject new life into the tech giant.

The latest round brings the Microsoft workforce in Seattle to 41,931 people.

Rachel Lerman covers technology and retail for the Puget Sound Business Journal.