Microsoft cuts jobs as part of core shift to cloud computing [Video]

Company reportedly intends to replace the hundreds of eliminated jobs with new ones focused on the cloud

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As part of a companywide shift toward cloud computing, Microsoft is cutting hundreds of jobs worldwide with plans to create new cloud-focused positions down the road, according to various reports.

TechFlash has reported that Microsoft is eliminating jobs in the low hundreds in the Seattle region — and hundreds more globally. Though the figures are imprecise, they don’t appear to represent a significant percentage of Microsoft 88,000-plus workforce. nor do they suggest that Microsoft is in immediate financial peril.

Rather, the layoffs are part of a companywide rebalancing effort as Microsoft shifts its core focus to cloud computing, an unnamed spokesman reportedly told ARN. “Microsoft believes its future business is firmly centered on the cloud and we are rebalancing the organization globally in order to create a number of new cloud-specific roles across …