Microsoft to axe 7,800 jobs at phone division

MICROSOFT’S mobile phone business is to bear the brunt of 7,800 fresh job cuts announced by the technology giant.

The firm also said it would take a $7.6 billion (£5bn) writedown on assets acquired from Nokia, despite only paying $7.2bn for the business last year.

“The future prospects for the phone hardware segment are below original expectations,” Microsoft said yesterday as it announced the latest shake-up.

Last summer, the group unveiled the largest round of job cuts in its history, with 18,000 roles being axed as it worked to integrate the former Nokia business.

In an e-mail to staff, chief executive Satya Nadella said: “I am committed to our first-party devices, including phones. However, we need to focus our phone efforts in the near term while driving reinvention.”

He added: “We are moving from a strategy to grow a standalone phone business to a strategy to grow and create a vibrant Windows ecosystem that includes our first-party device family.”