Thanks to all who checked in. No one in my immediate vicinity was in the 5000 MS layoffs, which is actually more like 1400 layoffs now and another thousand or so later, after you consider a few thousand new positions in growth areas.

Still, my heart goes out to anyone who’s lost their job in this economy. I can’t imagine what I’d do right now, given the sucky real estate market and not enough high tech employers nearby, or with open headcount.

For what it’s worth, Microsoft’s MO has traditionally been to cut whole projects and advise those affected to interview for other jobs within the company, which has avoided the stigma of layoffs thus far. But if headcount isn’t available, that’s not a viable route now, and they’re being fairly realistic about the results.

OTOH, given that MS has a reported 8% yearly attrition rate (half of those considered ‘good’ attrition), announcing 5% seems to me more to appease the stock analysts than anything else.

I’ll say it again — analysts should think carefully about calling for job cuts — those who failed to predict the current economic conditions should be the first heads on the block.

I mean, the MS employees who are getting laid off were at least doing their jobs.