Intel is touted for their total layoff number to be 5,000 to be done immediately globally in the next 2 quarters.

Microsoft is touted as 5,000 planned and increased it 2 days later with an additional 800 "cascade layoffs" for a total of 5,800.  

Microsoft does not do 100% "layoffs" in the traditional sense as many lower level employees are contract programmers instead of full time personnel.   These contracts won't be renewed.

These moves will put both companies more in line with the money flow they see coming in through the rest of the year.

This signals the end of Intel's total denial and Microsoft's headless fumbling of last year.   Cutting ~5-10%~ signals the companies are facing hard realities now.

The total number to be laid off by both Intel and Microsoft together is more than the total of people still employed by AMD -- which gives you a clue as to just how far the cuts may eventually have to go.

Intel will have to revise their new chip vapor plans to get in line with the head count that will still there to do the work in the second half of this year.

Chopping 1 in 8 programmers at Microsoft might possibly affect Windows 9, but if they were smart those key Win 9 folks would stay and some others would take the axe instead of them.

Any company that was "PC supporting" should be seeking a changed direction immediately
(should have done this a year ago).

Students pouring into Universities planning on going into the PC/IT support field should recognize the field is currently glutted with people and is SHRINKING right now.

Android and HTML web-based applications would be far wiser to be working on as a degree.   Instead of a Novell Certification a Chrome Intergrator Certification might be better for the future.

Apple isn't laying anybody off -- question becomes what ARE they working on with all those people ????

Google isn't laying off, and you can see the Google OS and browser worlds squaring off for the "OK Google" Everywhere move by move by move.   Every update nudges stuff closer together functionally.  

Google+ is now out for the Apple iPads and it works pretty durn well (I can attest it works, I just installed it)