Microsoft CFO Requires ‘Depth’ in Memo, After Blowout Earnings

Microsoft staff ought to strap in for an additional yr of “depth,” based on the software program large’s high finance govt.

Chief Monetary Officer Amy Hood despatched an e mail to staff on Wednesday after the corporate reported a $27 billion quarterly revenue, telling them the yr forward would require “depth, readability, and daring execution.”

Hood sends out these emails each quarter when Microsoft discloses its financials. Her missives principally rehash what the corporate reviews publicly, equivalent to how income and revenue are rising.

Typically, although, Hood’s emails present perception into what the corporate’s high executives deem most essential and what they need staff to know.

This time, Hood highlighted updates she mentioned had been private “reminders of the size and significance of the product and providers our prospects depend on us to ship.” She famous that Azure income reached greater than $75 billion — the primary time the corporate has disclosed this quantity — and grew 34%.

What maybe stood out most was Hood’s message to staff, reiterating priorities for the upcoming yr, and citing a memo from CEO Satya Nadella final week.

“We’re coming into FY26 with clear priorities in safety, high quality, and Al transformation, constructing on our momentum and grounded in our mission and growth-mindset tradition,” Hood wrote, mentioning Nadella’s e mail. “Each the tempo of change and buyer expectations are repeatedly accelerating.”

Hood’s e mail, notably, didn’t point out Microsoft’s current workforce cuts, which have exceeded 10,000 this yr whilst revenue swells. Nadella’s e mail final week tried to clarify this “seeming incongruence” because the “enigma of success.” Some staff weren’t happy with the reason.

Hood’s e mail expanded on Nadella’s ideas by telling staff the upcoming fiscal yr would require “depth,” which has change into a buzzword within the tech trade as corporations dial up efficiency stress and make vital workforce cuts.

“FY26 would require depth, readability, and daring execution,” Hood wrote. “I am enthusiastic about what we’ll accomplish collectively as we lead on this subsequent frontier of innovation — driving affect at scale for each buyer, each associate, and each neighborhood we serve world wide.”

Microsoft didn’t touch upon Hood’s memo.

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