US Stocks

Microsoft Buyout: First in 51 Years, 8,750 in $37.5B AI Bet

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Microsoft buyout marks the company's first workforce reduction in 51 years, cutting 8,750 US employees as $37.5B in AI capital expenditure surges 66%.

Microsoft Buyout has landed on roughly 8,750 US employees in the company’s first voluntary retirement program in 51 years. The April 23 announcement targets workers at the senior director level and below who satisfy a “Rule of 70” — years of service plus age totaling 70 or more — with detailed terms going out on May 7 and a 30-day decision window. The real bill behind the move is a single quarter of capex: Q2 FY2026 spending hit $37.5 billion, up roughly 66% year over year, almost entirely directed at AI data center buildout. Read more »

$127B Tariff Refund: 56,497 Importers Hit CAPE Glitches

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A $127B tariff refund queue opens via the CAPE portal for 56,497 importers on April 20, plagued by duplicate tax ID errors and 60-to-90-day processing waits.

The U.S. tariff refund portal is America’s hottest website — and its most frustrating. The CAPE module that CBP switched on inside the ACE Secure Data Portal at 8:00 AM EST on April 20, 2026 was supposed to be a clearing house for $127 billion in IEEPA-era refunds. Instead, day-one traffic produced “Duplicate tax ID” errors, four-hour hold times, and a wave of small-business owners publicly describing a system that “seems to have gone blinky.” Read more »