I was at Microsoft during the "great" mid-2014 layoffs when they eliminated 4/5ths of all SDETs in OSG (the Windows org). My division was one of the least affec

I was at Microsoft during the "great" mid-2014 layoffs when they eliminated 4/5ths of all SDETs in OSG (the Windows org). My division was one of the least affected, but not everyone was given the "musical chairs" treatment to find another job internally - seemingly that privilege was reserved only for those at the top of the "rank-and-yank" pecking order - presumably to avoid those perceived as being less-capable from taking an in-company job away from someone else being laid-off who was more desirable to retain. (I had a friend in MSFT HR at the time who confirmed that the 2014 layoffs were conducted by-algorithm and were absolutely not based on job-performance - hence why management had to resort to creative ways to retain people they wanted). Even for those who were granted the "privilege" of applying internally, it was incredibly stressful for them because now there was rampant competition for a limited number of places. The QA/SDET roles were hit the hardest because most of the open positions were exclusively SDE - and SDE hiring managers are reluctant to engage SDETs.