Microsoft Lays Off 800

Microsoft confirmed to The Wrap Thursday that it is cutting 800 jobs across the company. The latest round of pink slips marks the third series of layoffs this year, The software previously announced it would eliminate up to 5,000 jobs, to make up for a decline in profits and sales. The latest cuts means that the company has now laid off in excess of that mark and some analysts still predict more layoffs.

"Earlier this year, we announced that in order to reduce costs, increase efficiency and prioritize our focus areas, we would eliminate approximately 5,000 positions by June 2010.," Lou Gellos, the company's director of public relations, announced in a statement. "Today, we are eliminating around 800 positions spread across multiple businesses and locations and have completed our reduction plan sooner than we had anticipated 11 months ago. At the same time, we continue to hire in priority areas, but also understand that continuing to manage our businesses closely, as we always do, can mean additional headcount adjustments."