Microsoft cuts 6,000 jobs as AI investments take center stage
Microsoft has announced 6,000 job cuts, representing nearly 3% of its workforce, as part of a strategy to streamline operations and prioritize investments in artificial intelligence.
Microsoft is working on a new generation of in-house artificial intelligence reasoning models designed to rival those from OpenAI, according to a report by The Information.
The company, which has been a major backer of OpenAI, is exploring options to reduce its dependence on external AI technology and may eventually offer these models to developers via an application programming interface.
The report indicates that Microsoft is testing models from xAI, Meta, and DeepSeek as potential replacements for the technology currently powering its Microsoft 365 Copilot. Reuters reported in December that Microsoft had been actively integrating both internal and third-party AI models into Copilot to diversify its technological foundation and lower costs, given that the service was originally built on OpenAI's GPT-4.
Microsoft’s AI division, led by Mustafa Suleyman, has reportedly completed training a family of models internally known as MAI. These models are said to perform nearly as well as leading models from OpenAI and Anthropic on standard benchmarks. In addition, Suleyman’s team is developing reasoning models that use chain-of-thought techniques—methods that generate answers through intermediate reasoning steps—to directly compete with similar models from OpenAI.
Suleyman’s team is already experimenting with replacing OpenAI’s models in Copilot with the newly developed MAI models, which are significantly larger than an earlier series known as Phi. Microsoft is considering a release of these models later this year in the form of an API, which would enable external developers to integrate the advanced AI reasoning capabilities into their own applications.
Neither Microsoft nor OpenAI immediately responded to requests for comment.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war in Gaza will not stop until Hamas is destroyed, following the release of US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on May 15, with discussions reportedly focusing on upcoming peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegates in Istanbul.
Qatar signed a landmark agreement with U.S. aerospace giant Boeing on Wednesday to acquire 160 aircraft for Qatar Airways, a deal valued at $200 billion. The signing took place in Doha during the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ukrainian and Russian delegations meet behind closed doors at Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace at 10:00 local time today to explore security guarantees, territorial integrity and a possible ceasefire.
Ukraine’s Air Force lost an F-16 fighter jet on Friday following an in-flight malfunction; the pilot ejected safely after diverting the aircraft from populated areas, and investigators say there’s no indication of Russian fire.
The United States has warned Vietnam that its \$123 billion trade deficit is “unsustainable” as both nations enter reciprocal tariff negotiations, prompting Hanoi to crack down on illicit transshipments and seek greater imports of U.S. high-tech goods.
In a high‑stakes May 18 runoff, nationalist George Simion and centrist Nicușor Dan clash in a tight race that could steer Romania’s political and European trajectory for years to come.
On May 19, London and Brussels are set to kick off their first annual summit, prioritizing a new UK–EU defense and security pact even as negotiations continue with Washington over tariff relief on British steel, cars and aerospace components.
Archer Aviation’s four‑seat “Midnight” electric air taxi will shuttle fans, VIPs and support teams between major LA28 venues—SoFi Stadium, the Coliseum, LAX and more—in 10–20 minute hops, marking the first use of eVTOLs at any Olympic Games.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment