Here's How Microsoft Exec Stephen Elop Told 12,500 Employees They Were Getting Laid Off

Jillian D'OnfroJul 17, 2014, 19:09 IST

Justin Sullivan / Getty Stephen Elop, Executive Vice President of Microsoft's Devices & Services

Today, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced plans for the largest job cut in the company's history: 18,000 employees will get laid off.

Most of those cuts will come from Nokia, which Microsoft acquired this year. Stephen Elop, Microsoft's executive VP of devices and services (formerly the CEO of Nokia), was responsible for sending a memo to employees explaining Microsoft's future plans.

The tough news doesn't come until paragraph 11 of the very long letter.

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"We plan that this would result in an estimated reduction of 12,500 factory direct and professional employees over the next year," he writes. "These decisions are difficult for the team, and we plan to support departing team members' with severance benefits."

Here's the full letter from Elop:

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Here's How Microsoft Exec Stephen Elop Told 12,500 Employees They Were Getting Laid Off