On May 15th, on the well-known Chinese workplace communication platform Maimai, several Azure developers of Microsoft China's cloud business posted that they had received emails from the company regarding relocating their workplace to the United States and other places.

According to a post circulating on Maimai, members of the Azure ML team on Microsoft's China platform have received an email from the company asking if they are willing to migrate to other regions for work, including the United States, Australia, Ireland, and other countries.

The news also stated that once employees decide to relocate overseas, Microsoft will be responsible for the issue of employee family visas. There are also reports that the destination will be designated by Microsoft, rather than selected by employees. The recipient of the email needs to make a decision before June 7th. Failure to leave will result in layoffs, and the company will provide compensation for the layoffs.

Netizens are also discussing Microsoft's move.

Some people believe that this is a good thing, as it not only helps their career but also allows them to experience different cultures overseas and enhance their personal knowledge. Some people also believe that many employees have already started families in China, making it difficult for their families to relocate. They feel that Microsoft is indirectly laying off employees.

In addition, some netizens have pointed out the potential risks of this move, such as visa issues. For example, in the United States, the visa issued by internal transfer companies is usually an L1 visa, which means that job hopping is not allowed in the United States. It takes about 10 years to obtain a US green card, and the more flexible H-1B visa takes about 5 years to be drawn. If you are laid off in the middle, you will have to pack it back to your home country. People who support moving overseas believe that as long as they have strong abilities, they don't have to worry about continuing to develop overseas.

At a time of public opinion fermentation, Microsoft China has responded. Based on Microsoft China's response to major media outlets, several key points can be identified.

One is that there is indeed a question of whether employees want to relocate their work location overseas. "This is an optional internal transfer opportunity for some employees, which will not affect the company's operations in China," Microsoft China said.

One is that Microsoft emphasizes that internal job transfers are a routine operation within the company. When the above news spread widely, some netizens pointed out that Microsoft has always provided internal opportunities for employees to transfer work locations. A spokesperson for SoftMicro also stated in a statement, "Providing internal opportunities is a routine part of managing our global business. As part of this process, we have shared optional internal transfer opportunities with some employees."

Another issue is that the scale of employees involved may not be very large. At the beginning, the news circulating on the pulse involved about hundreds of employees. Subsequently, some media reported that the number of people involved could reach as high as seven to eight hundred. A Microsoft spokesperson stated in a statement, "Currently, a small number of Chinese employees have the opportunity to choose international rotation. Employees can choose to rotate or continue in their current positions."

Microsoft did not provide further response to other information exposed online, such as whether the employees involved belong to the AI team. Microsoft's spokesperson only emphasized that Microsoft is still committed to the Chinese market and will continue to conduct business in China and other markets.

It is reported that since entering China in 1992, Microsoft has been deeply cultivating the market for more than 20 years. Currently, Microsoft's largest research and development center outside of the United States is located in China.

Last week, there were media reports that the US Department of Commerce is considering new regulatory measures to restrict the export of proprietary or closed source artificial intelligence models, whose software and training data are kept confidential. It is unclear whether Microsoft's move is preparing for future regulatory restrictions.