Early in my career I joined a large company right when they went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Worked there for a year, then moved on. They shut down the office where I had worked a year or two after that. I don't regret working there at all. And I doubt Microsoft is even close to the same situation. They employ a couple hundred thousand people, so laying off 1000 is nothing. It's like a 200-headcount company letting go of just one person.

Either way, I think it's fine to join a company that is downsizing, since presumably the area you got hired is a department that isn't part of the downsizing. Of course there are horror stories of people who got laid off immediately after getting hired, but that's just bad luck. Most of the time there is a budget for you, or the position wouldn't be advertized in the first place. If you end up doing valuable work on a valuable team, you should be safe from any cuts - and you can ask those questions during the interview process.

From my perspective, any job where you get paid to work on something interesting and learn new stuff is worth considering.

In todays market be leery of companies who aren’t showing fiscal restraint. Look more at the strength and market positioning of the company, and don’t join a company whose business you don’t understand.

  My general observation is some companies use layoffs as a periodic way to get rid of folks without performance reviews.  (“Position was eliminated” doesn’t lead to law suits) Also, when companies do multiple rounds, they get less generous on each subsequent round.

It depends on the reason. If it was an old pharma company with expiring patents and no pipeline of new products to immediately replace them then that's a bad place to be. It's not as big a problem when it's a company that's making money hand over fist. You need to understand whether you are sustaining existing products or building the next set of things.

When you are really early in your career then you are less likely to be affected by big company layoffs. You are a relatively small cost and viewed as someone who might hang around, so are worth investing in. At least, you'll get a shot at filling the boots of the people who left until the better times come around.

EDIT: One other thing to look at is how the company cuts. Cutting a little when deep cuts are needed has a big impact on the day-to-day experience. No one feels safe. If there is a CEO who makes big cuts that seem reasonable for the business (completely ignore the tech) then you are better off.

Depends on the quantity and reason for layoffs. Meta, I would avoid at this time. Microsoft is doing fine, despite this small layoff.

I wouldn't turn down the opportunity if fresh out of school or still very early in career. Worst case you get laid off and are back on the market and not really any worse off than when you were looking earlier.

Once you're mid and senior level it's a bit harder to hop out and into a new job on very short notice--you really need clout and the right place at right time, or connections/network of companies that are hiring.

Might not be ideal, but going to a company that hasn't done a layoff yet is likely to be even worse. If business stability is a concern (and sometimes it legitimately isn't) then evaluating the odds going forward should be the main focus.

If you can find a decently paying job there and you're able to pick up a lot of skills and knowledge while getting paid for it, that is probably more than worth it, particularly if you're early in your career. A resume with Microsoft or something like that on it can't hurt.

Check the financial health of the company you're looking at. Are they profitable with positive cash flow? Microsoft had mountains of money coming in the door. One of the downsides of the American system is that a successful company changing priorities can fuck up people's lives.

if it's a small, unstable company on the verge of death probably not. For tech giants with tens if not hundreds of thousands of employees it doesn't matter. Would be weird if they didn't have occasional rounds of layoffs.

Yes and no. Yes, because it could demonstrate how much you like the company to be willing to look beyond the immediate-term risk of becoming part of any near future layoffs. Also, it shows that you are brave and confident in your own ability to find another job if it does happen. This could lead to the employer giving you more compensation and benefits to counter the reduction in interest from other candidates.

No, it may not be wise because it may result in you actually getting laid off soon after joining or having your offer rescinded 1 hour before start. As a great man once said, it all depends on your risk tolerance.