Tinfoil hat thoroughly fixed upon my head, but a part of me kind of thinks that this might have been a long-game from big tech in the same vein as Grapes of Wrath.

Software engineers make a lot of money, at least historically because of supply/demand mechanics. By suddenly and continuously flooding the market with lots and lots of software engineers, you effectively can bring down wages, since if people are unemployed long enough they're likely to take a lower salary.

I was looking at the graph a few days ago. Doesn't look great https://www.hnhiringtrends.com/

Why is MS doing this after the latest troubles with VP Vance regarding layoffs?