Microsoft's global service disruption has given a senior US labour department official another opportunity to criticise the company's use of foreign workers.
Anthony D'Esposito, Inspector General at the US Department of Labor, took a swipe at the technology giant after its Outlook services returned following a widespread outage. "Outlook is back. Microsoft can process 6,000 H-1B applications, but processing your inbox is apparently a tougher assignment," D'Esposito wrote on X on November 13.
Outlook is back. @Microsoft can process 6,000 H-1B applications, but processing your inbox is apparently a tougher assignment.
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— Inspector General Anthony D'Esposito (@USLaborIG) November 13, 2026
His remark linked the outage to an ongoing controversy over Microsoft's employment practices and H-1B visa applications. The company has faced scrutiny after reports highlighted the overlap between its workforce reductions and applications for foreign skilled workers.
Microsoft laid off approximately 6,000 employees while filing around 6,800 H-1B applications during the same period. The figures drew criticism from immigration officials and lawmakers, who questioned the company's reliance on overseas talent while reducing its domestic workforce.
The dispute had already affected Microsoft's employment-based immigration programme. In October, the company was among several technology firms whose access to the US Department of Labor's Permanent Labour Certification programme, commonly known as PERM, was suspended amid allegations of misuse. PERM is a key route through which employers sponsor eligible foreign employees for permanent residency.
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The latest criticism followed a major disruption affecting Microsoft's services across more than 70 countries. Products including Outlook, Teams and Copilot experienced problems, disrupting access for businesses and individual users. Microsoft subsequently confirmed that services had been restored.
The company attributed the disruption to a technical issue and said it was unrelated to cybersecurity or artificial intelligence agents. Microsoft also rejected any connection between the outage and its immigration programme. A company spokesperson told Newsweek that the service disruption was not related in any way to its immigration activities.
The company has separately defended its H-1B filings. In an earlier statement, Microsoft said around 80% of its work visa applications during the previous fiscal year involved existing employees rather than new hires.
D'Esposito's post highlights how Microsoft's visa practices remain under scrutiny even as the company deals with operational challenges. However, the outage itself does not establish any link between its technical systems and immigration-related decisions.
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