Microsoft joint venture Wicresoft has put a halt to its China projects with the US technology giant, laying off around two thousand employees in the process, according to local media reports and some affected workers.
Employees at the Shanghai office of Wicresoft – a Bellevue, Washington-based business consulting venture founded by Microsoft and its Shanghai partners in 2002 – on Monday received emails that said their work related to the US company “will be terminated”.
According to the email, the decision to stop work on those projects was made because of “geopolitical shifts and changes in the global business environment”.
With expertise in information technology and telecommunications services as well as talent acquisition, Wicresoft provides advisory, solutions and operational support to various major brands.
A Wicresoft employee, Vincent Gao, confirmed the email’s authenticity. Gao, who joined the company in 2020, said Microsoft-related projects account for most of the firm’s business. He said Wicresoft has set Tuesday as their last working day.
Phone calls made to Wicresoft went unanswered.