Microsoft Australian Managing Director Jane Livesey Says Tech Giant to Keep Hiring Locally Amid AI Boom, Defying Industry Trends
The Australian Financial Review
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Details
- Date Published
- 20 Apr 2026
- Priority Score
- 2
- Australian
- Yes
- Created
- 20 Apr 2026, 10:00 am
Description
In her first interview as the software giant’s Australian boss, Jane Livesey said she expected plenty of local growth and an expansion of its AI infrastructure.
Summary
Microsoft is significantly expanding its Australian footprint through a $5 billion investment in data center infrastructure to support growing AI compute demands. Managing Director Jane Livesey indicates that despite broader tech industry retrenchment, the sophistication of frontier AI models is driving local workforce growth rather than replacement. This expansion underscores the rapid deployment of high-capacity AI infrastructure in Australia, which carries implications for national AI governance and the management of physical security risks associated with large-scale compute clusters.
Body
TechnologySoftwarePrint articlePaul SmithTechnology editorApr 20, 2026 – 4.00pmMicrosoft’s new local managing director says the tech giant will keep hiring locally, defying a software sector trend to retrench thousands of employees amid the growing power and sophistication of artificial intelligence.The Seattle-headquartered software giant has been building out its local data centre portfolio, spending $5 billion over the last two years alone.Loading...SaveLog in or Subscribe to save articleShareCopy linkCopiedEmailLinkedInTwitterFacebookCopy linkCopiedShare via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? LoginLicense articleFollow the topics, people and companies that matter to you.Find out moreRead MoreSoftwareMicrosoftData centresTelstra CorporationNew ZealandAISatya NadellaWestpac Banking CorporationSydneyAnthropicASX LimitedSharesFetching latest articles