Microsoft is shutting down Skype’s HQ in London as part of large-scale terminations

After Microsoft announced that it would be laying off around 2,850 employees worlwide in its annual report in August, things are now starting to show and Skype’s headquarters in London is the first one to go as a part of the company’s large-scale terminations. Microsoft told the Financial Times that Skype’s London headquarters which hosts around 400 employees will lose their jobs. Microsoft said that it made the same decision to unify some engineering positions that were potentially putting at risk a number of globally focused financial roles. The same report also confirmed that all those employees affected by the lay off would go through a consultation process to get placements elsewhere. So by no means is the software giant leaving any of its ex-employees stranded. Skype was originally founded in London, so it is indeed a shame to see the office go as a part of now owner Microsoft’s termination plans. Even worse, the same arrives at a time when Britain is continuously making efforts to show world that it can survive independently after recently voting to separate from the European Union. Microsoft had purchased Skype back in 2011 for $8.5 billion. Surprisingly, the Financial Times also reported an insider working in the Skype HQ stating that the move was not a surprise. Many in the office anticipated the same and had been leaving the company since the past few years. The layoffs so far have been attributed to the Microsoft’s struggling smartphones business.