The Microsoft 365 Copilot app empowers your employees to do their best work with Copilot in the apps they use daily. Friendly and professional, with a wealth of experience and ideas, the Events Team is on hand to help plan every detail of your special day. Whether you’re planning an intimate wedding for your closest friends and family or a larger celebration, every detail will be taken care of.
Brazz
In 1998 Brazz was born, a concept which has evolved into the much talked about award-winning restaurant of today. Microsoft recently conducted mass layoffs, eliminating 9,000 roles in July, or nearly 4% of its workforce. Two months earlier, in May, Microsoft laid off over 6,000 employees, or 3% of its workforce. “Embrace, extend, and extinguish” (EEE),338 also known as “embrace, extend, and exterminate,”339 is a phrase that the U.S. Microsoft is frequently accused of using anticompetitive tactics and abusing its monopolistic power. People who use their products and services often end up becoming dependent on them, a process is known as vendor lock-in.
Security challenges
At the same time, Microsoft has reported stellar earnings, greater than analyst expectations. Last month, Microsoft announced that for the quarter ending June 30, revenue was up 18% from the previous year, reaching $76.4 billion, while net income was $27.2 billion, a 24% increase. According to a study conducted last year by Bamboo HR, return-to-office mandates were often layoffs in disguise, designed to pare down a workforce without conducting official job cuts. About a quarter of C-Suite executives surveyed wanted to inspire “voluntary turnover” with stricter return-to-office policies. Since the pandemic, Microsoft has had a flexible work arrangement, allowing remote work as much as half of the time. According to the BI report, Microsoft is considering increasing the requirement for in-person work for employees based in its Redmond, Washington, headquarters to at least three days a week starting in January.
Windows chief Pavan Davuluri, who was just promoted to president of Windows and devices earlier this month, shared the changes to Microsoft’s Windows teams in an internal memo. The company is on a streak of layoffs right now, continuing one of the largest runs in its history. Some waves have been large, with more than 6,000 employees let go in May and an additional 9,000 cut in July. From LinkedIn to Xbox, each segment of the company’s business has been affected by layoffs in 2025. Microsoft’s job cuts have been linked to its AI ambitions, with an investment of $80 billion announced for 2025.
- Our plush, extra large, private booths are well located to enjoy the action and can seat between 6 and 10 people.
- Some waves have been large, with more than 6,000 employees let go in May and an additional 9,000 cut in July.
- The Chapman family has run this wisteria-cloaked Grade 2 listed landmark in the centre of Taunton for over seventy years, through good times and some more challenging periods.
- “Embrace, extend, and extinguish” (EEE),338 also known as “embrace, extend, and exterminate,”339 is a phrase that the U.S.
Following it’s demolition, the Keep was used as a garden until it was taken over by the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society in 1873 who has ensure it’s preservation to this day. As the resident custodian of this great local landmark, the family’s seventy years of ownership are a mere blip in The Castle’s long and turbulent history. Although The Castle’s origins are obscure, it is generally believed that The Castle in it’s present form began to take shape under Bishop William Giffard ( ), when it served as the centre of the Norman Bishop’s estate. The building we see today, has been lovingly renovated and maintained by the Chapman family for the last seventy years. Our friendly team are on hand to assist with any room enquiries, group reservations and help you choose the best configuration to suit your needs. Christenings, birthdays, anniversaries, shooting parties – we’ve got it covered.
- From a hearty breakfast or midmorning coffee and freshly-baked pastries, to working lunches or an indulgent afternoon tea, right through to a gastronomic dinner with paired wines, Andrew and his team serve up the very best.
- Parts of the stone structure, notably Castle Bow, reach back to the 13th century.
- Whether you’re planning an intimate wedding for your closest friends and family or a larger celebration, every detail will be taken care of.
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Our plush, extra large, private booths are well located to enjoy the action and can seat between 6 and 10 people. Our breakfast has long been famous for the small touches, such as homemade jams and mueslis. Launched in 1998, Brazz’s mission has always been to seek out the finest local ingredients and to translate them into dishes which highlight the greatness of the West Country. With a role call of acclaimed Head Chefs including Phil Vickery, Richard Guest and Liam Finnegan. Featuring a wide ranging menu, old favourites such as Brazz Fishcakes – which have been present since day one – you’ll also find Quantock Lamb, Brixham Crab and much more. Unlike so many of today’s hotels, The Castle’s rooms are individually designed and decorated.
Our history
It has been criticized for its monopolistic practices, and the company’s software has been criticized for problems with ease of use, robustness, and security. Empower your organization with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat that supercharges productivity, sparks creativity, and keeps your data protected with enterprise data protection. I understand that the data I am submitting will be used to provide me with the above-described products and/or services and communications in connection therewith. In 2025, both AT&T and Sweetgreen revised their stances on remote work, with AT&T asking U.S. staff to work all five days from the office while Sweetgreen mandated four days. Both companies previously required staff to work in person three days a week. A return-to-office mandate could impact tens of thousands of Microsoft employees.
The tech industry is highly competitive, and prolonged layoffs can deter top talent from joining or staying with Microsoft, despite the trend of layoffs across top-tier organizations. Layoffs are notorious for disrupting organizational culture, particularly at a company like Microsoft, which has historically prided itself on innovation and collaboration. Regular updates, town hall meetings, and clear explanations of the company agenda and strategic direction can help maintain trust to some degree, but the impact is considerable nonetheless. Microsoft’s recent three-day RTO policy came with the assurance that the move was not directed at encouraging headcount reductions. But this becomes harder to believe considering the current climate of Microsoft layoffs for the fifth month in a row. The company has doubled down on how central AI is to its operations, even asking employees to utilize the tool sufficiently if they hope to get an A-plus on their performance reviews.
A bespoke English manufactured Induction Suite was installed, assisting our goal towards more sustainable working practices. The Chapman family has run this wisteria-cloaked Grade 2 listed landmark in the centre of Taunton for over seventy years, through good times and some more challenging periods. Throughout this time, a simple ethos has underpinned us – to give the warmest of welcomes, the utmost personal attention and exemplary service to each and every one of our guests. Microsoft is bringing its key Windows engineering teams under a single organization again, as part of a reorg being announced today.
Our friendly Events Team is on hand to assist with any room enquiries, or group reservations and to help you choose the best configuration for your needs. You’re taking the first step to arranging the most important day of your life, and here at The Castle Hotel, we never forget that every couple is different. We enjoy getting to know you, and we do everything we can to make the wedding of your dreams a reality. Extend your weekend by taking advantage of our Sunday Special Offer. This includes overnight accommodation, a £35 per person dinner in Brazz, and a hearty full breakfast in the following morning. At night, Brazz really comes to life, so if you’re looking for a venue for a girls night out or boys get together, get your drinks, and booth pre-booked!
The layoffs are separate from previous announcements, and the companywide impact was small, according to a Microsoft spokesperson. Seamlessly collaborate and create files with your friends and family. Your files and memories are features of primary market secure in the cloud with 5GB of storage for free and 1TB with a paid Microsoft 365 subscription. The Microsoft 365 Copilot app brings together your favorite apps and Copilot in one intuitive platform. Keep your business connected from anywhere with chat and cloud collaboration tools.
The company’s investments in AI are unsurprising considering how central this tech has become for the industry, but the scale of Microsoft’s layoffs has been particularly noteworthy. The Microsoft 365 Copilot app brings together your favorite apps in one intuitive platform that keeps your data secure with enterprise data protection. Quickly design anything for you and your family—birthday cards, school flyers, budgets, social posts, videos, and more—no graphic design experience needed. Our award-winning kitchen team, led by Chef Andrew Swann, offers a variety of options to suit your wedding breakfast and reception tastes and needs. Whether you’re looking for healthy or hearty, you’ll find it all at our award-winning restaurant, Brazz. Perfect for a breakfast meeting, midmorning coffee with a friend or family lunch, to Instagram-worthy cocktails or a romantic dinner.
Microsoft recently created the Windows AI Labs program to trial experimental artificial intelligence features inside Windows 11. The software maker has also been adding a bunch of AI features to Windows 11 in recent months, including a Copilot Vision tool and an AI-powered Settings agent. New reports from the Seattle Times confirmed that Microsoft was entering its fifth consecutive month of layoffs, albeit on a smaller scale this time around.
Microsoft reported its quarterly revenue results for the last part of its 2025 fiscal year in June, and they were certainly impressive. With $76.4 billion in revenue and $27.2 billion in profit, the company’s financial performance has been nothing short of impressive, making the cuts all the more telling for employees. Criticism of Microsoft has followed various aspects of its products and business practices. Frequently criticized are the ease of use, robustness, and security of the company’s software.