Microsoft announced another round of layoffs Thursday. The tech company is eliminating 617 jobs in Washington state. The layoffs will impact workers in Redmond, Issaquah and Bellevue. In January, the company said nearly 900 Washington workers would be laid off, however, the most recent cuts bring the total to 1,495 jobs eliminated in the state. The jobs are expected to be cut beginning in April. Across the company, at least 10,000 people - 5% of the company's global workforce - will be laid off from Microsoft this year. In January, Microsoft said the layoffs were in response to “macroeconomic conditions and changing customer priorities.” “While we are eliminating roles in some areas, we will continue to hire in key strategic areas,” CEO Satya Nadella said in an email to employees last month. He emphasized the importance of building a “new computer platform” using advances in artificial intelligence. He said customers that were accelerating their spending on digital technology during the pandemic are now trying to “optimize their digital spend to do more with less.” Amazon, another Washington-based company, announced 18,000 layoffs in January, with a majority of role eliminations in Amazon Stores and PXT organizations. The online retail giant, like other tech and social media giants, saw sizable profits during the COVID-19 pandemic, as homebound shoppers purchased more items online. But revenue growth slowed as the worst of the pandemic eased and consumers relied less on e-commerce. Amazon did not confirm how many of those layoffs would take place in Washington state. READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/bellevue/microsoft-layoffs-redmond-bellevue-issaquah/281-16f21ccf-05ab-4a03-8298-a95475940a32