Microsoft is among the top tech giants attracting employees from other competitor firms, according to a broad study
Microsoft attracted a total of 7,937 employees from IBM it seems.
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What you need to know
In these unprecedented and tough economic times, we’ve seen big tech firms likeMicrosoftand Meta take major hits over the past few months. This has directly contributed to massive layoffs. At the beginning of this year, Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella confirmed that the company willcut 10,000 jobs by the end of FY23 Q3.
While the tough times continue to persist, a new study bySwitch On Businesssought to understand which tech giants attract the most talent from competitors with a microscope on Google (Alphabet), Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, IBM, Tesla, Oracle, Netflix, Nvidia, Salesforce, Adobe, Intel and Uber.
Headhunting isn’t a new phenomenon in the tech world. In fact, per Switch On Business' study, Meta and Google have the highest percentage of employees that have worked for other tech giants before joining them. Microsoft comes in at sixth place with 13.86%.
We all know that employees play a crucial role in the success of any business, as reiterated by some of OpenAI’s employees duringAltman’s ousting by the board of directors. More than 500 of the company’s employees threatened to leave the company andpotentially join Microsoft’s AI Advanced divisionif the directors didn’t reinstate Altman, further citing that “OpenAI is nothing without its people.”
Below are the key findings from the study, as highlighted by Switch On Business:
Microsoft knows talent when it sees it
Per the study, Microsoft attracted 7,937 employees from IBM, and lost a whopping 12,018 to Google. Essentially, this goes to show the important role that employees play when it comes to the potential success of a business.
Microsoft’s CEO,Satya Nadella,outlined empathy as a crucial skill when it comes to running a large tech firm such as Microsoft. He added thatempathy is one of the hardest skills to learn, yet a key ingredient to hisimmense success throughout his tenure.
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The company shares a unique relationship withOpenAI, especially after themulti-billion dollar investmentwhich extended their partnership. As such, it’s obvious that last week’s OpenAI’s week-long fiasco would raise a bit of concern for Microsoft.
Nadella extended Sam Altman an offer to join the company as head of the Advanced AI team. While this plan didn’t go through as Altman is now back at OpenAI, it clearly flexes Microsoft’s muscles by showcasingits capability to absorb over 500 people into its workforce within a moment’s notice. It was reported that Microsoft had already started making plans to accommodate the employees transitioning from OpenAI to Microsoft down at its LinkedIn offices in San Francisco.
What are your thoughts on tech giants like Microsoft headhunting employees from competitor firms?Let us know in the comments.
Kevin Okemwa is a seasoned tech journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya with lots of experience covering the latest trends and developments in the industry at Windows Central. With a passion for innovation and a keen eye for detail, he has written for leading publications such as OnMSFT, MakeUseOf, and Windows Report, providing insightful analysis and breaking news on everything revolving around the Microsoft ecosystem. You’ll also catch him occasionally contributing at iMore about Apple and AI. While AFK and not busy following the ever-emerging trends in tech, you can find him exploring the world or listening to music.
