Microsoft Corp. will close its Silicon Valley research-and-development operation as part of 2,100 layoffs announced on Thursday, as it moves toward its new chief executive officer’s (CEO) goal of cutting 18,000 staff, or about 14% of its workforce. News of the closure of the Microsoft Research lab at the company’s campus in Mountain View, California, was first made public on Twitter by employees. The company later confirmed the move and said it would involve the loss of 50 jobs. A spokesman said Microsoft Research, which has over 1,000 scientists and engineers worldwide working on new product ideas, will consolidate its US work at Microsoft’s main campus in Redmond, Washington, and in offices in New York and Boston. After the cuts, Microsoft said it will still have 2,500 employees at its Mountain View campus, not far from rival Google Inc.

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