Microsoft is nearing a target to employ more than 10,000 workers in China — doubling down on a massive investment in the country despite rising political tensions with the US.
In a little-noticed, Chinese-language WeChat post last week, Microsoft revealed that it has about 9,000 employees in China and expects that number to top 10,000 over the next year. Microsoft appears to not have made the announcement in any English-language media.
“Microsoft will continue to deepen the fertile ground for scientific research, solidly promote the development of computer science and technology applications locally and globally, help to cultivate digital talents and join hands with Chinese innovation to go global,” Microsoft senior vice president Wang Yongdong wrote, according to a translated version of the post.
Microsoft’s new hires — capping three decades of expansion in the Chinese market — put the tech giant in stark contrast to rivals Google and Meta, which appear to have largely abandoned the country in recent years as tensions have soared between Washington and Beijing. US lawmakers from both parties have become increasingly wary of American tech firms doing business in China. READ MORE...
