That also means version 25H2 doesn’t include any notable new changes or enhancements over version 24H2, because both releases are based on the same platform release and thus share the same security updates, bug fixes, and features. The only thing version 25H2 does that version 24H2 doesn’t is reset the support lifecycle clock. In the middle of Microsoft’s waves of layoffs this summer the company reported record quarterly revenue and profits for the final three months of its 2025 fiscal year, which ended June 30.
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- The only thing version 25H2 does that version 24H2 doesn’t is reset the support lifecycle clock.
- Microsoft is laying off 42 Redmond-based employees, continuing a months-long effort by the company to trim its workforce amid an artificial intelligence spending boom.
With Monday’s layoffs, disclosed in a state regulatory filing, the number of Washington-based workers affected has passed 3,200. The tech industry is highly competitive, and prolonged layoffs can deter top talent from joining or staying with Microsoft, despite the trend of layoffs across top-tier organizations. Layoffs are notorious for disrupting organizational culture, particularly at a company like Microsoft, which has historically prided itself on innovation and collaboration. The company has doubled down on how central AI is to its vegas casino app operations, even asking employees to utilize the tool sufficiently if they hope to get an A-plus on their performance reviews.
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From LinkedIn to Xbox, each segment of the company’s business has been affected by layoffs in 2025. Microsoft’s job cuts have been linked to its AI ambitions, with an investment of $80 billion announced for 2025. Microsoft’s logo with the tagline “Your potential. Our passion.”—below the main corporate name—is based on a slogan Microsoft used in 2008. At the same time, Microsoft has reported stellar earnings, greater than analyst expectations.
Windows 11 version 25H2 is now generally available — Microsoft confirms rollout has begun
While version 25H2 doesn’t include any new features on its own, Microsoft is working on a number of new Windows 11 features that are expected to debut in the coming weeks. Things like a brand new Start menu, improvements to dark mode, updates to Phone Link, and more are all in the works. Alternatively, you can download the official ISO media for Windows 11 version 25H2, which is available in 38 languages in either x64 or Arm64 flavors. Or you can use Microsoft’s official Windows Media Creation Tool that will streamline the process and make creating a USB installation key easy.
The Redmond job cuts at Microsoft appear targeted at fields like product management, engineering, and legal teams, so they are sufficiently spread out and indicate a desire for additional efficiency. Criticism of Microsoft has followed various aspects of its products and business practices. Frequently criticized are the ease of use, robustness, and security of the company’s software. Since the pandemic, Microsoft has had a flexible work arrangement, allowing remote work as much as half of the time. According to the BI report, Microsoft is considering increasing the requirement for in-person work for employees based in its Redmond, Washington, headquarters to at least three days a week starting in January.
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Microsoft reported its quarterly revenue results for the last part of its 2025 fiscal year in June, and they were certainly impressive. With $76.4 billion in revenue and $27.2 billion in profit, the company’s financial performance has been nothing short of impressive, making the cuts all the more telling for employees. The number of cuts mentioned in filings for June and August was far smaller, but the impact on employees has been consistently harsh.
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Regular updates, town hall meetings, and clear explanations of the company agenda and strategic direction can help maintain trust to some degree, but the impact is considerable nonetheless. Microsoft’s recent three-day RTO policy came with the assurance that the move was not directed at encouraging headcount reductions. But this becomes harder to believe considering the current climate of Microsoft layoffs for the fifth month in a row.
Microsoft layoffs continue into 5th consecutive month
New reports from the Seattle Times confirmed that Microsoft was entering its fifth consecutive month of layoffs, albeit on a smaller scale this time around. The Microsoft Redmond job cuts add up to around 42 workers, but this brings the number of cuts among Washington-based employees to over 3,200, and the total number of employees affected by layoffs since May 2025 to over 15,000. Microsoft continues down the warpath, making cuts both big and small across its organization for the fifth month in a row. The link between the Microsoft job cuts and the company’s AI investments is clear to see, but the evidence doesn’t soften the blow for employees.
- Alternatively, you can download the official ISO media for Windows 11 version 25H2, which is available in 38 languages in either x64 or Arm64 flavors.
- To get the update as soon as possible, make sure you have the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” toggle selected in Windows Update, as that will prioritize your PC during the rollout.
- Microsoft’s logo with the tagline “Your potential. Our passion.”—below the main corporate name—is based on a slogan Microsoft used in 2008.
- Or you can use Microsoft’s official Windows Media Creation Tool that will streamline the process and make creating a USB installation key easy.
- Microsoft recently conducted mass layoffs, eliminating 9,000 roles in July, or nearly 4% of its workforce.
Microsoft layoffs, for the fifth month in a row, add to the consistent anxiety that employees are operating under, fearful of what’s to come next. Austin, Texas-based cloud computing giant Oracle, which has an engineering hub in the Seattle area, laid off more than 260 Seattle-area employees this summer as part of companywide cuts. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella explained the job cuts in a memo to staff released on Microsoft’s corporate blog last month. Nadella acknowledged the discrepancy between Microsoft’s “thriving” financials and his decision to still lay off staff. Microsoft is laying off 42 Redmond-based employees, continuing a months-long effort by the company to trim its workforce amid an artificial intelligence spending boom.
Microsoft 365 empowers your organization to organize, and safely store files in OneDrive with intuitive and easy organizational tools. The Microsoft 365 Copilot app empowers your employees to do their best work with Copilot in the apps they use daily. The layoffs are separate from previous announcements, and the companywide impact was small, according to a Microsoft spokesperson. If you’d like to download the enablement package update files to upgrade from version 24H2 to version 25H2 quickly, you can download the file corresponding to your architecture below.
Will the company continue to thrive, or will we see cracks appear in the facade as employees grow weary of the conditions of work? Layoff survivors face considerable guilt over the relief they feel at still having their jobs, and they remain under constant anxiety under the threat of additional layoffs. In most cases, these fears are unfounded, and employees can eventually return to work with a clear head. Microsoft’s AI-motivated layoffs may be beneficial for the company’s expense and profit margins, but it is wearing employees down. All layoffs, big or small, affect employees in innumerable ways, from denting morale to cutting their careers short right when economic uncertainties are on the rise. Layoffs don’t just affect the employees who are cut, but they have a similar impact on those who are left behind as well.
Last month, Microsoft announced that for the quarter ending June 30, revenue was up 18% from the previous year, reaching $76.4 billion, while net income was $27.2 billion, a 24% increase. Microsoft recently conducted mass layoffs, eliminating 9,000 roles in July, or nearly 4% of its workforce. Two months earlier, in May, Microsoft laid off over 6,000 employees, or 3% of its workforce. According to a study conducted last year by Bamboo HR, return-to-office mandates were often layoffs in disguise, designed to pare down a workforce without conducting official job cuts.
About a quarter of C-Suite executives surveyed wanted to inspire “voluntary turnover” with stricter return-to-office policies. During the first few waves of layoffs this year, Microsoft’s enormous financial success was the unmentioned elephant in the room. CEO Satya Nadella addressed that in July, after more than 15,000 employees were let go, acknowledging the “uncertainty and seeming incongruence” between historical success and massive job cuts. The company is on a streak of layoffs right now, continuing one of the largest runs in its history. Some waves have been large, with more than 6,000 employees let go in May and an additional 9,000 cut in July. It also bears mentioning that the drive for efficiency and growth does not appear to stem from a place of combating business struggles.
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