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These are the severance packages big tech is paying out: there is no universal industry formula. Amazon’s 2026 program emphasizes an internal-job-search period, while publicly documented Google and Meta packages combined salary, tenure-based pay, healthcare, equity, and career support. Microsoft’s reported buyout and layoff terms differ, and Salesforce’s clearest figure is historical.
The headline number—“16 weeks,” “five months,” or “up to 39 weeks”—does not necessarily describe the entire transition package. Notice pay, severance, bonus, unused vacation, stock vesting, healthcare, immigration assistance, and restrictions in the separation agreement can materially change the result.
The comparison below is limited to Amazon, Alphabet/Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Salesforce because those are the companies for which the dossier contains sufficiently clear public documentation or reporting. Figures are generally U.S.-specific unless stated otherwise, and historical terms are labeled by date rather than presented as guaranteed 2026 entitlements.
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- Amazon’s January 28, 2026 announcement described 90 days for most affected U.S. employees to seek another internal role, not 90 days of severance pay.
- Google’s official January 2023 U.S. package started at 16 weeks of salary plus two weeks for each additional year of service, with at least 16 weeks of accelerated Google Stock Units.
- Meta’s official November 2022 U.S. package provided 16 weeks of base pay plus two weeks per year of service with no cap stated in the announcement.
- Microsoft’s reported 2026 voluntary buyout was a separate program from reported standard severance and employee-reported offers of up to 39 weeks for some U.S. employees.
- Healthcare, bonus, PTO, equity, notice pay, visa support, and release terms can be as important as the cash severance formula.
These are the severance packages big tech is paying out: the short answer
Big tech is not paying one standardized severance package. Each offer depends on the company, country, employee level, tenure, employment agreement, layoff program, termination date, and whether the departure is voluntary or involuntary.
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The most defensible comparison is therefore a dated evidence table. An official company announcement is stronger evidence than reputable reporting based on internal documents, and both are stronger than an anonymous employee post. A public formula is still not the same thing as an individual employee’s signed separation agreement.
How do the publicly documented packages compare?
The table uses “salary severance” to mean the specifically described separation payment. Notice pay, PTO, bonus, equity, and benefits are listed separately so they are not accidentally counted twice.
| Company and program | Salary severance | Tenure formula or cap | Notice or internal mobility | Healthcare and transition benefits | Equity, bonus, and PTO | Evidence status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon, January 2026 U.S. workforce reduction | No universal dollar amount or formula publicly disclosed | Not disclosed | Most affected U.S. employees generally received 90 days to seek another internal role before transition support | Amazon named severance, outplacement, and applicable health-insurance benefits | Not specified in the public announcement | Official program description; individual payment unknown |
| Google, January 2023 U.S. layoffs | At least 16 weeks of salary | Two additional weeks for each additional year at Google; no cap was specified in the cited announcement | Full notification period, with a minimum of 60 days | Six months of healthcare, job-placement services, and immigration support | At least 16 weeks of accelerated GSU vesting, 2022 bonus, and remaining vacation | Official historical package; not verified as a universal 2026 policy |
| Meta, November 2022 U.S. layoffs | 16 weeks of base pay | Two additional weeks for every year of service; no cap stated in the announcement | Notice period for visa holders | Six months of healthcare and three months of career support | Remaining PTO and November 15, 2022 vesting paid to impacted employees | Official historical package; later terms may differ |
| Microsoft, reported April 2026 voluntary buyout | Terms varied by eligibility and program; no single universal amount established by the dossier | Eligibility reportedly included senior-director level and below and some employees whose age plus years of service totaled at least 70 | Voluntary election with a decision deadline, rather than an involuntary RIF package | Program-specific terms were not fully established in the cited report | Must be checked in the individual buyout offer | Reported program, separate from involuntary layoffs |
| Microsoft, previously reported standard severance | 12 weeks of base pay | Two additional weeks per year of employment; variation by tenure and level | Program-specific | Program-specific | Program-specific | Reported earlier standard; not a confirmed universal 2026 rule |
| Microsoft, some reported 2026 layoff offers | Up to 39 weeks of base pay for some U.S. employees | Individual offer terms not established as a company-wide formula | Individual offer terms | Individual offer terms | Individual offer terms | Employee-reported; not an official universal policy |
| Salesforce, January 2023 layoffs | Nearly five months of pay minimum reported | Current formula not established | Not established | Health insurance, career resources, and other transition benefits were reported | Not established | Historical reported benchmark; not verified as a 2026 formula |
U.S. figures and programs unless otherwise noted. “Official” refers to a company announcement or filing; “reported” refers to reputable reporting or employee-reported material. A table entry does not override an employee’s separation agreement.
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What did Amazon offer in January 2026?
Amazon’s January 28, 2026 announcement described a transition process rather than a fixed severance formula. Amazon said most affected U.S.-based employees would generally have 90 days to seek another internal role before receiving transition support if they did not move into another position.
Amazon named severance pay, outplacement services, and applicable health-insurance benefits as parts of that transition support, but the announcement did not publish a universal dollar amount, salary multiplier, tenure formula, or cap. Calling the 90-day period “90 days of severance” would therefore be inaccurate.
The Amazon model changes the comparison. An employee who finds an internal role may avoid termination, while an employee who does not find one needs to inspect the later transition documents for the amount, payment schedule, equity treatment, benefits, and release conditions.
What did Google’s published 2023 package include?
Google’s official January 20, 2023 U.S. layoff package began with 16 weeks of salary and added two weeks for each additional year of service at Google. The package also included the full notification period, with a minimum of 60 days. Google’s January 2023 announcement described the remaining components.
- At least 16 weeks of accelerated Google Stock Unit vesting.
- Payment of the relevant 2022 bonus.
- Payment for remaining vacation.
- Six months of healthcare.
- Job-placement services.
- Immigration support.
According to Google’s official announcement dated January 20, 2023, these terms applied to U.S. employees affected by that reduction. The package is a useful published benchmark, but the dossier does not verify that Google used the same formula for every 2026 separation. A current employee must rely on the current notice and agreement, not an old headline.
What did Meta’s 2022 package include?
Meta’s official November 9, 2022 U.S. layoff announcement specified 16 weeks of base pay plus two additional weeks for every year of service, with no cap stated in the announcement. Meta also described six months of healthcare and three months of career support.
The announced package included remaining PTO and the November 15, 2022 vesting for impacted employees. Meta also described immigration support and a notice period for visa holders. Those details show why “four months of pay” is incomplete: the value may include vacation, equity vesting, health coverage, career support, and additional time to manage immigration.
Meta’s formula is historical. The announcement does not establish a universal package for every Meta employee laid off in 2026, and later employee reports describing different terms should not be silently merged with the 2022 policy.
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How should Microsoft’s buyout and layoff terms be separated?
Microsoft’s reported April 2026 voluntary buyout was not simply another name for an involuntary mass layoff. Forbes reported that Microsoft offered the buyout to a defined group of U.S. employees, reportedly including employees at senior-director level and below and some employees whose age and years of service totaled at least 70.
A voluntary buyout is elected by an eligible employee, usually by a stated deadline. An involuntary reduction in force is initiated by the company and is generally tied to the affected role, organization, location, or selection process. Buyouts may offer enhanced terms, impose participation limits, or have different effects on unemployment eligibility and releases.
Separate reporting described a previously reported Microsoft standard formula of 12 weeks of base pay plus two additional weeks per year of employment, with variation by tenure and level. Separate employee-reported 2026 material described offers of up to 39 weeks of base pay for some U.S. employees. The 39-week figure is not a confirmed universal Microsoft policy and should be treated as reported evidence about some offers, not a promise to every laid-off employee.
Why executive severance figures cannot be applied to ordinary employees
Microsoft’s public proxy materials illustrate the distinction. Microsoft’s 2025 proxy disclosed an executive severance plan involving 12 months of base salary plus a target annual cash incentive, a prorated target incentive, continued vesting of certain stock awards over the following 12 months, healthcare, and outplacement assistance.
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That plan applies to named executives, not ordinary employees. Executive plans can include change-in-control protections, guaranteed bonuses, accelerated equity, and contractual rights unavailable to rank-and-file workers. A proxy-table number is not evidence of the package offered to a regular employee.
What did Salesforce offer?
Salesforce is best treated as a historical benchmark in this comparison. Public reporting around the company’s January 2023 layoffs described a minimum of nearly five months of pay, health insurance, career resources, and other transition benefits. The research does not establish a current universal Salesforce formula for 2026.
“Nearly five months” also needs interpretation. The reporting does not, by itself, establish whether the figure included notice pay, whether the payment was a lump sum or salary continuation, how tenure changed the amount, or how equity and bonus eligibility were handled. Those details must come from the employee’s offer.
What counts as severance, and what should be counted separately?
Severance is often used as a broad label for several different forms of post-layoff compensation. A reliable comparison separates each component instead of treating every benefit as cash severance.
| Component | What it means | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Salary severance | A separation payment calculated from base salary, often as a lump sum or salary continuation | Is the amount based on base salary or total cash compensation, and is it gross or net? |
| Notice pay | Pay during a required or contractual notice period; the employee may work or may be on paid non-working notice | Does notice pay come in addition to severance? |
| Statutory notice or WARN pay | Pay or notice required by applicable law in particular circumstances | Is the statutory payment separate from the company’s severance offer? |
| PTO payout | Payment for eligible unused vacation or paid time off | Which types of leave are payable under company policy and local law? |
| Bonus | Payment of an earned, target, guaranteed, or prorated incentive | Must the employee remain employed on the payout date? |
| Equity | Vesting through a termination date, accelerated vesting, or treatment of shares, options, and performance awards | Which grants vest, on what date, and what happens to unvested awards? |
| Healthcare | Continued plan participation, employer-paid premiums, COBRA reimbursement, or another subsidy | Does the subsidy cover the employee, dependents, dental, and vision? |
| Transition support | Outplacement, coaching, job placement, or immigration help | How long is the benefit available, and is there a provider enrollment deadline? |
A practical calculation is:
Total cash transition value = notice-period pay + severance pay + eligible bonus + PTO payout.
Equity and healthcare should normally be shown separately from that cash total. Do not add notice pay and severance together unless the underlying documents confirm that the payments are cumulative. Do not call accelerated stock vesting cash severance, because its value depends on the security, vesting date, tax withholding, trading restrictions, and market price.
How is equity handled in a layoff?
Equity treatment can be the largest difference between two offers with similar salary severance. The employee must distinguish shares that have already vested, shares that vest during a notice period, accelerated vesting, one-time vesting dates, performance shares, restricted stock units, stock options, refresh grants, and employee stock-purchase plans.
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Google’s official 2023 package expressly included at least 16 weeks of accelerated GSU vesting. That does not mean every company accelerates equity, and it does not establish how a later Google program treats every grant. An agreement may accelerate only specified awards or only the vesting that would have occurred during a defined period.
Before signing, request a grant-by-grant explanation showing the final vesting date, number of shares or options, exercise rules where relevant, tax withholding, blackout periods, and the treatment of performance conditions. A termination date just before a vesting date can have a substantially different result from a termination date just after it.
What happens to bonuses and PTO?
Bonus and PTO treatment depends on the plan document, company policy, separation agreement, and applicable law. “Bonus eligible” can mean very different things from “bonus guaranteed.”
- A guaranteed bonus may be payable even after termination if its conditions have been met.
- A target bonus may be reduced, prorated, or forfeited.
- A discretionary bonus may depend on company or manager judgment.
- An earned bonus may be defined differently from a bonus expected at the end of the performance year.
- Unused vacation may be payable, while sick leave may not be.
- Personal days and floating holidays may follow separate rules.
Google said its 2023 U.S. layoff package included the relevant 2022 bonuses and remaining vacation. Meta said its 2022 package included remaining PTO. Those are examples of specific programs, not general industry rules.
What does “six months of healthcare” actually mean?
“Six months of healthcare” does not necessarily mean six months of free insurance for every family member. The phrase may describe continued participation in the employer plan, employer-paid premiums, reimbursement of COBRA premiums, a third-party plan, or another subsidy.
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Google and Meta each publicly described six months of healthcare in their respective U.S. layoff announcements. An employee should verify the exact coverage end date, whether the employer pays the full premium, whether dependents are included, whether dental and vision continue, whether the subsidy is taxable, and when COBRA materials arrive.
Compare the employer subsidy with a spouse’s employer plan and an Affordable Care Act marketplace plan. Short-term coverage may have different legal availability and exclusions, so employees should use official enrollment sources and check the actual plan terms rather than comparing only the monthly headline price.
What changes outside the United States?
U.S. severance figures should not be applied automatically to employees in other countries. Local rules may require statutory redundancy payments, consultation, works-council involvement, collective bargaining, mandatory notice, garden leave, social plans, or limits on releases and waivers.
Google’s January 2023 announcement said non-U.S. employees would be supported according to local practices and laws. The practical result may be a longer notice period, a statutory formula, a negotiated settlement, or a company supplement. Country, state, employment contract, immigration status, and collective agreement can all change the result.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesWhat is the difference between a voluntary buyout and an involuntary layoff?
| Question | Voluntary buyout | Involuntary layoff |
|---|---|---|
| Who chooses the departure? | The eligible employee elects to leave | The company selects the employee or role |
| Eligibility | Usually limited by level, tenure, age, location, or workforce needs | Usually tied to role, team, location, business need, or selection process |
| Terms | May provide enhanced or specially calculated terms | May use a standard RIF formula or an individual agreement |
| Timing | Usually has an election and acceptance deadline | Usually specifies a termination date and notice period |
| Participation | May be capped or withdrawn if too many employees accept | Generally proceeds according to the company’s reduction plan |
| Legal and benefits consequences | May affect unemployment eligibility, taxes, and release terms differently | May involve WARN, consultation, or local-notice requirements |
Microsoft’s April 2026 program should be read as a voluntary buyout for a defined group, not as proof that all Microsoft employees received the same offer during layoffs.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Are the biggest headline packages actually the most generous?
Not necessarily. “Generous” should be evaluated across guaranteed cash, weeks per year of service, any cap, notice treatment, equity, bonus, PTO, healthcare, internal mobility, career support, visa assistance, taxes, unemployment effects, and contractual restrictions.
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An uncapped formula can be more valuable for a long-tenured employee than a higher minimum with a strict cap. Paid non-working notice can preserve salary and benefits while the employee searches for work. Conversely, a large lump sum may be less valuable if it replaces notice pay, forfeits a near-term stock vest, ends healthcare immediately, or requires broad restrictive covenants.
The best offer depends on the employee’s scenario. A worker on a visa may prioritize the official employment end date and immigration assistance. A worker near a major vesting date may prioritize equity treatment. A worker with dependents may value health-premium coverage more than several additional weeks of salary.
What should an employee check before signing?
- Termination date: Identify the legal termination date and the last day actively working.
- Notice period: Determine whether notice is worked, paid but non-working, or included in the severance calculation.
- Severance amount: Confirm the salary basis, formula, minimum, cap, gross amount, payment schedule, and withholding.
- Bonus: Check whether the payment is guaranteed, earned, prorated, discretionary, or conditional on employment on the payout date.
- PTO: Confirm the calculation and whether vacation, sick leave, personal days, and floating holidays are treated differently.
- Equity: Review RSUs, options, performance awards, refresh grants, ESPP rights, vesting during notice, acceleration, exercise deadlines, and tax withholding.
- Healthcare: Verify the coverage end date, employer subsidy, COBRA process, dependents, dental, and vision.
- Outplacement: Check whether the company already provides coaching, resume review, interview preparation, job leads, or networking support.
- Immigration: For visa holders, confirm the official employment end date, grace-period implications, attorney access, and who pays filing or transfer costs.
- Release of claims: Understand which claims are waived and whether the agreement contains confidentiality, non-disparagement, non-solicitation, or non-compete language.
- Repayment and clawbacks: Look for repayment obligations tied to signing, rehiring, misconduct, bonuses, relocation, or equity.
- Age-discrimination waiver: If applicable, check the disclosure, consideration, and revocation requirements before the deadline expires.
- Unemployment: Ask how the payment timing and voluntary-versus-involuntary classification may affect eligibility in the relevant state.
- References: Confirm whether the company will provide a neutral reference or employment-verification letter.
- Deadlines: Record the date to sign and any revocation period; do not assume an informal extension exists.
For a material agreement, a licensed employment lawyer in the relevant state or country can review the release, restrictive covenants, equity language, bonus terms, and potential discrimination or retaliation issues. Tax advice may also be worthwhile when a lump sum, large equity payout, or cross-border move is involved.
Should laid-off employees buy job-search or compensation tools?
Check the severance package first. Amazon, Google, and Meta have publicly described outplacement or career-support benefits in the programs covered here, so paying for a duplicate service may be unnecessary.
For readers who do not receive equivalent employer support, LinkedIn Premium and LinkedIn’s job tools may help with job alerts, applicant insights, profile visibility, recruiter messaging, and networking. Pricing was not verified in the research, so readers should check the current offer before subscribing.
Levels.fyi can help technology workers benchmark compensation and compare an offer with their normal market compensation. Compensation benchmarking cannot interpret a release, decide whether a waiver is enforceable, or replace employment counsel.
Tools such as Teal may help with resume tailoring, keyword matching, job tracking, and application organization. Teal is a poor fit for someone applying to only a few roles or anyone uncomfortable uploading employment-history information to a third-party service. None of these tools guarantees a job or substitutes for legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Amazon give laid-off employees 90 days of severance?
No. Amazon’s January 2026 announcement described 90 days for most affected U.S. employees to seek another internal role, not 90 days of severance pay. Amazon said employees who did not move into another role would receive transition support including severance, outplacement, and applicable health-insurance benefits, but it did not publish a universal dollar formula.
Is Google’s 16-weeks-plus-two-weeks-per-year formula still the 2026 standard?
The 16-weeks-plus-two-weeks-per-year formula is an official Google U.S. layoff package from January 2023, not a verified universal 2026 policy in the available research. A current employee should rely on the current separation notice and agreement.
Does severance include stock, PTO, and healthcare?
Severance does not automatically include stock, PTO, or healthcare. Those items should be listed separately because a package may provide salary severance plus notice pay, PTO, bonus, equity vesting, healthcare subsidies, and transition services—or may exclude some of them.
Are Microsoft’s reported 39-week offers available to every laid-off employee?
No. Up to 39 weeks was described in employee-reported material for some U.S. Microsoft employees, not as an official universal policy. Microsoft’s reported voluntary buyout and reported earlier standard severance are separate programs with different eligibility and terms.
Can employees outside the United States use these severance figures?
Usually not without checking local rules. Country-specific redundancy formulas, mandatory notice, consultation, works councils, collective agreements, garden leave, immigration rules, and limits on releases can make non-U.S. terms materially different from U.S. packages.
The Bottom Line
The most accurate answer to “what severance is big tech paying?” is that the package depends on the specific company program and employee agreement. Google’s 2023 and Meta’s 2022 announcements provide detailed historical benchmarks; Amazon’s 2026 announcement emphasizes internal mobility before transition support; Microsoft’s buyout and reported layoff figures must remain separate; and Salesforce’s clearest figure is historical. Compare total cash, notice time, equity, healthcare, PTO, bonus, mobility, immigration help, and legal restrictions—not just weeks of salary.
