Microsoft has committed to improving the quality and reliability of Windows, and a step on the path to that goal is… encouraging a chunk of its US staff to leave the company.

As confirmed by The Register sources, the company has announced, via internal memo, a voluntary buyout scheme for US employees. So if you work in that region, are at the senior director level or below, and if your age plus years of employment at Microsoft comes to 70 or higher – you might be eligible to leap from the gangplank of the good ship Nadella rather than receiving a shove from HR.

There will be some exceptions, including employees with sales incentive plans, but a figure of approximately 7 percent is a guide to how big a chunk of the workforce could be eligible. That translates to just under 9,000 employees.

Buyouts always reduce quality. The most expensive employees are the ones with deep institutional knowledge. That's great for quarterly results, but little else.