Update 2: Microsoft to cut up to 5000 Jobs

Update 1/23/09 11:30 am: CrunchGear reports that the team behind Microsoft’s Flight Simulator was hard hit by the layoff. Some suggest the end of the game. I always thought Microsoft with some geo and some gaming could be the vendor to bring them together in a meaningful way.

—- Update 1/23/09 9 am——

Update: Word from Boulder Colorado’s Microsoft’s Virtual Earth that no one from that group was involved in the first wave.

- Daily Camera

—-original post 1/22/09—-

As expected, Microsoft today announced the layoffs of up to 5000 of its 94,000 employees.  The individuals work in research, sales, finance and technology. The process begins today with 1,400 notifications and will be complete in 18 months. These are the first layoffs in company history.

- NYT