Microsoft has asked some of its artificial intelligence and cloud business employees in China to consider moving out of the country, according to a Wall Street Journal report, amid ongoing geopolitical and trade tensions between Washington and Beijing as the Biden administration attempts to curb China’s access to advanced technology, including AI.
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| Microsoft logo. Photo: microsoft.com |
Citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, the Journal reported that around 700 to 800 Microsoft staffers in China have received offers to move to countries including the U.S., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
The staffers in question are mostly engineers of Chinese nationality working on machine learning and cloud computing.
The tech giant responded to the report, saying internal transfers are a “regular part” of its global operations, and confirmed “an optional internal transfer opportunity” was offered to some workers.
Microsoft said it remains committed to its China business and will continue to operate there.
forbes.com
