"I joined Microsoft right out of college, and I've been here over half my life. I had envisioned myself leaving at some point, but June wasn't in my mind. I'm in my late 40s, and in tech, that's like grandma age. It's on the verge of, "If you're not a senior executive, what are you doing in this industry?" I envision it being harder to find a job in my 50s. Plus, the job market has not been easy."
"Before this, I wasn't thinking about my age at all. Maybe that was my mistake. Thinking about retirement always felt like something far off in the future. Suddenly, this offer pulled that timeline into my late 40s, and I wasn't ready for that. Now I'm thinking about my life in a more finite way. You start asking yourself, "What's the difference I want to make in the world? What do I want to leave behind for my family?" Now what?"
"I knew I was going to reach my 25-year mark at Microsoft in July, which is kind of a big deal. There's a wall of crystal plaques. And if you make it to 25 years, you get your name up there. I knew that when I hit that milestone, the next question would be "Now what?" The money they're offering brings no clarity to that question only a sense of urgency."
"Because when it surfaced, it was like, "Oh my gosh, I'm included now in a category of people that are considered old." The company would never say we're considered old, but it's brought my age to the top of my brain."
Marisela Cerda, a Microsoft principal customer experience manager, received a voluntary retirement offer effective in July due to her age and tenure. She had planned to leave at some point but not in June, and she expected retirement to remain far in the future. She described how being in her late 40s in tech feels like “grandma age,” raising concerns about finding work in her 50s amid a difficult job market. The offer shifted her focus from career momentum to finite life questions, including what difference she wants to make and what to leave for her family. The offered money increased urgency without providing clarity on what comes next.
Read at www.businessinsider.com
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